LIBRARY OF C0N6RESS- 



■^' ^' 






UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, j 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL 

VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE REUTINd PRINCIPALLY 
5 TO THE— ^ 



H 







RD 



?rii^PBM-^JiM®^|i©ijsi:M©i.®,c|-i-4 



THIS BOOK IS PRESENTED TO EACH NEW SUBSCRIBER FOR THE IOWA HOMESTEAD. 



CAREFULLY PREPARED FROM THE BEST AUTHORITIES 



EDIT 



By B. F. GUE, 
OR OF THE IOWA HOM^^C-^OlGHr '^^^^Tj 



DE8 MOINEB, IOWA : 

PUBLISHED BY THE HOMESTEAD COMP^^Y, 
1881. 



Sc'^ 6 leai 



rts 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1881, by the 

HOMESTEAD COMPANY, 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



This Book is not for sale by any booksellers or agents, and can only be obtained by 
New SrBSCRiBERs to the Iowa Homestead, to whom it is sent tree. 









PREFACE. 



Great care has been taken in the compilation of this book to procure 
all facts and information presented to the Homestead Subscribers from 
the best authorities. Access has been had to the files of the best Agri- 
cultural,Horticultural,Dairy and Stock journals,to several private libraries 
and the great State Library of Iowa. More than a thousand volumes of 
standard authorities have been examined and the well settled facts, 
methods and recipes appropriate to the scope of the work condensed for 
use in this Manual. On Gleneral Farming, Dairy, Stock Raising and 
Breeding, the latest and best writers have been consulted. 

It has been the aim of the compiler to introduce no doubtful theories, 
but to give well settled conclusions only, that have been reached by 
careful and experienced workers in the various departments of which 
this volume treats. 

Our aim has been to collect such information as will be of the greatest 
value to those living on prairie farms, or in western homes. Very little 
space has been given to the details of general farming and ordinary grain 
raising, as each farmer has his own methods and is supposed to be well 
informed on these general topics. More space has been given to the 
later and improved methods and systems upon which general interest is 
felt, and information sought. 

Forestry and fruit-growing, grass and forage plants, bee-keeping, 
household affairs, rules, facts, methods and recipes, occupy liberal 
space, as they are subjects of general interest, and such information as 
is eagerly sought for by thousands. 

The compiler has had more than twenty years experience in western 



IV THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

farm management, stock raising and fruit culture, and ought therefore to 
be able to judge of the competency and correctness of the authorities 
relied upon in the preparation of this work. We trust that the Sub- 
scribers of the Homestead will find in these pages much of value to every 
owner of a farm or home. The Household Department has been pre- 
pared by ladies who are thoroughly experienced in all household duties, 
and we are confident that it will be found of great value to young wives 
and girls who are qualifying themselves for useful and happy lives. 

The Horticultural Department is made up largely from a compilation 
of the published experience of the members of the Iowa State Horti- 
cultural Society as gathered and condensed from the valuable Annual 
Reports of their transactions. 

Inexperienced persons can rely upon the correctness of the information 
and suggestions herein contained as relates to varieties of fruit, propoga- 
tion and culture. We present this volume to the Homestead. Sub- 
scribers in the confident belief that it will become a valued and reliable 
guide on many subjects in which they often need to seek information, 
and that it will never mislead, but prove one of the most profitable of the 
many household aids to success. 



-^j(^THBv|i©mBSTBA®vMAMlJiiI.«3|g-<* 



FARM DEPARTMEI>rT, 



CHAPTER I. 



EMIGRATION WESTWARD. 

The population of the great west is made up very largely from the 
active enterprising young men and women who were born and reared to 
mature years in some of the older states and countries of the east. For 
more than three centuries the tide of emigration has been moving stead- 
ily westward from the old world into the newly discovered and enticing 
wilds of America. The surplus population that overflows from the old 
crowded nations of Europe, here find the promised land, rich in virgin 
soil, in new forms of vegetation, in vast mineral deposits, in its varied 
scenery of grand forests, vast inland lakes, great rivers, towering moun- 
tains and broad reaching prairies, presenting to adventurous settlers 
boundless fields of promise for future homes of plenty, where industry 
skill and energy could be employed without encroaching upon a dense 
population, or fixed habits, customs and oppressive laws. The allure- 
ments of the great undeveloped and almost unknown west were continu- 
ally presented to the young and adventurous spirits who were looking 
forward to something bettor than the crowded old homes could oifer, and 
westward has wended the ever-growing and steadily increasing tide of 
emigration for century after century until vast empires have grown up 
in the new world. And still the tide flows westward as uniformly, stead- 
ily and ceaslessly as the trade winds blow, or ocean tides roll on to the 



6 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

end of time. Our people have a most commendable ambition to 
become owners of homes and farms. The American spirit of independ- 
ance developes into an absorbing desire to become the proprietor of a 
farm, or a village or city liome. This spirit prompts the young man of 
the east to leave the old home and all of its endearments, ties of friend- 
ship, a life of ease and plenty, to become a pioneer in the far west. He 
must endure privations, encounter hardships, toil early and late, practice 
rigid economy, suffer in health, isolate himself from every youthful com- 
panion and pleasure, to earn a farm, and convert it into a home. But 
the process, hard as it may seem, binds him by new ties to his country. 
His ownership of the soil developes in him a stronger love of the country 
of which he is in part the owner. It adds dignity and stability to his 
character, and makes him a better citizen. That country that so shapes 
its laws and public policy as to convert the most of its citizens into own- 
ers of the soil, has the strongest fortifications against foreign aggression 
or internal dangers. The enactment by our government of the Home- 
stead law, although coming many years too late, was one of the wisest 
measures of the age. 

It placed within the reach of many of our citizens the first opportun- 
ity of a lifetime to become the owners of homes. The great mistake 
that speedily followed, of granting millions of acres of our most valuable 
public lands to railroad corporations, may yet involve us in the most 
serious internal troubles that can be feared. 

Every owner of a farm or home should show his love of country and 
his appreciation of the liberal government under which he lives, by 
studying how to beautify and render more valuable and attractive the 
plot of ground — be it large or small — that belongs to him. 

THE PRAIRIE STATES. 

The upper Mississippi A^alley is chiefly a vast prairie interspersed 
with rivers, lakes, groves and hills. It is with this prairie country more 
especially that our book will deal. 

Farming in the eastern states among stones, rocks, roots and stumps, 
upon a soil exhausted by the successive generations it has raised, is 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 7 

essentially different in methods, crops and processes, from that in the 
western prairie states. The tedious work and heavy expense of falling 
the trees and working among stumps, cutting the brush, removing the 
timber and grubbing out roots, occupied the pioneers of the eastern and 
middle states after settling on the new land of the timbered regions. 
Only the rudest and strongest farm implements could be used in the 
cultivation of the "clearing" that was slowly enlarged from year to year 
by the hardest toil known to pioneer life. No labor saving machinery 
could be used to lighten the farm work, as the stumps and roots, stones 
and rocks banished reapers, mowers, cultivators and corn planters from 
the field. 

The best years of settlers' lives were spent in chopping, and destroying 
the huge trees and stumps to make room for seed and sunshine, and but a 
few acres a year could be thus subdued with axe and mattock. For half 
a lifetime after the removal of trees and brush, the sturdy stumps 
occupied a good share of the little fields, keeping up a stubborn resist- 
ance to every effort of the farmer to dislodge them. Half a lifetime was 
required to clear the farm of these obstructions before labor saving 
machinery could be used to . advantage. The praiiie farmers, who 
in later times began to settle in the great Misssissippi Valley, were happily 
relieved of the slow and exhausting toil required to open farms in the 
great forests of the more eastern states. Here on the broad prairies 
they found millions of acres of the most beautiful and fertile meadows, 
undulating enough to afford good surface drainage, no trees or stumps, 
rocks, or other obstructions to interfere with the plow, reaper, drill or 
planter. The breaking plow could be started as soon as the settler had 
pitched his tent, and before midsummer an "eighty" could be made 
ready for the next year's crop, the result of the easy labor of one man 
and his team for two months. 

ORIGIN OF THE PRAIRIES. 

The causes that have produced in the great basin of the Mississippi 
Valley, the immense prairies, which are simply plains, large and small, 
beginning in southern ^Michigan, and extending in places southward to 



8 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

the Gulf of MexicOj and westward to tlie Rocky Mountains, have never 
yet been satisfactorily solved by Geologists. 

Dr. Cha's. A. White in his Geology of Iowa writes as follows: 
"By the word prairie we mean any considerable surface that is free 
from forest trees and shrubbery, and which is covered more or less 
thickly with annual plants. This is also the popular understanding 
of the term. It is estimated that about seven-eighths of the surface of 
Iowa is prairie or was so when the State was first settled. They are not 
confined to the level surfaces, but are sometimes even quite hilly and 
broken, and it has just been shown that they are not confined to any 
particular variety of soil, for they prevail equally upon Alluvial, Drift 
and Lacustral soils. Indeed, we sometimes find a single prairie whose 
surface includes all these varieties, portions of which may be respectively 
sandy, gravelly, clayey, or loamy. jN either are they confined to the region 
of, nor does their character seem at all dependent upon the formations 
which underlie them, for within the State of Iowa they rest upon all 
formations, from those of xVzoic to those of Cretaceous age inclusive, 
which embrace almost all kinds of rock, such as quartzite, friable sand- 
stone, magnesian limestone, common limestone, impure chalk, clay, clayey 
and sandy shales, etc. Southwestern Minnesota is almost one continu- 
ous prairie upon the drift which rests directly upon, not only the hard 
Sioux quartzite, but also directly upon the granite. 

Thus, whatever the origin of the prairies may have been, we have the 
positive assurance that their present existence in Iowa and its immediate 
vicinity is not due to the influences of climate, the character or compo- 
sition of the soil, nor to the character of any of the underlying forma- 
tions. It now remains to say without the least hesitation, that the reid 
cause of the present existence of the prairies in Iowa is the prevalence of 
annual Jires. If these had been prevented fifty years ago, Iowa would 
now be a timbered instead of a prairie state. 

Thus far we have stated facts and what are deemed legitimate deduc- 
tions from tkem. The following are offered only as suggestions. We 
have no evidence to show or suggest that any of the prairies ever had a 
growth of trees upon them; notwithstanding the fact that those at least 
of the eastern part of the great prairie region will support an abundant 
growth of trees after they are introduced, if protected from the fires. 

There seems to be no good reason why we should regard the forest as 
any more a natural or normal condition of the surface than the prairies 
are. Indeed, it seems the more natural inference that the occupation of 
the surface by the forests has taken place by dispersion from the original 
centers, and that they encroached upon the unoccupied surface, until 
jnet and checked by the destructive power of the fires. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Then arise questions like the following, not easily answered, and for 
which no answers are at present proposed: When was the fire first intro- 
duced upon the prairies, and how? Could any but human agency have 
introduced annual fires upon them ? If they could have been introduced 
only by the agency of man why did the forests not occupy the prairies 
before man could introduce his fires, since we see their great tendency 
to encroach upon the prairies as soon as the fires are made to cease ? 
The prairies doubtless, existed as such almost immediately after the 
close of the Grlacial epoch. Did man exist and possess the use of fire 
then that he might have annually burnt the prairies of so large a part 
of the continent, and thus have constantly prevented the encroachment 
of the forests ? It may be that these questions will never be satisfac- 
torily answered; but nothing is more evident than that the forests 
would soon occupy a very large proportion of the prairie region of North 
America if the prairie fires were made to cease, and no artificial eff'orts 
were made to prevent their growth and encroachment." 

THE PREVAILING SOILS. 

The soil of the prairie states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska 
and Kansas, present many points of similarity. In these five states prai- 
rie is the prevailing soil. Illinois had more of the immense level prai- 
ries, too flat for good surface drainage in early days, and for many years 
these great treeless plains were avoided by the early settlers as unsuit- 
able for occupation as homes. The pioneers made their claims in the 
scattered groves and along the belts of woods that border on the water- 
courses. There they found shelter from the bleak winds of winter that 
in early days swept with resistless fury over the vast stretches of tree- 
less plains and struck terror to the hearts of the bravest men. The 
stories of the perils encountered by the emigrants and travellers . over 
these great prairies in the winter months have never half been told. 
Hundreds of adventurous travellers have started across these pathless 
plains in the pleasant winter mornings, who have been caught out of 
sight of human habitation or aid, and amid the fierce howling winds of 
the sudden storms that have overtaken them, have perished after heroic 
struggles in the driving snow and pitiless beatings of the western "bliz- 
zard" that knows no mercy to man or beast. Many of these great prai- 
ries were from twenty to fifty miles across without a tree or object of 



10 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

any kind to break the dull monotony of two or three days travel to the 
white top eTnip;rant wagon with its slow ox teams as they toiled slowly 
on towards the "promised land." Long before the advent of railroads, 
the writer of this book crossed the great prairies of Illinois in a white 
top wagon, when it took five days to make the trip from the then humble 
little city of Chicago, to the banks of the Mississippi, opposite to where 
the city of Davenport has since grown up. No one whom we met 
on that long winter ride over the great, bleak, flat, ice covered prairies, 
believed that they would be settled in our day. These great desolate 
plains of that day, are now covered with beautiful groves, fruitful orchards, 
fine farm houses and barns, cloverfields, meadows, gardens, evergreens, 
beautiful villages and thriving inland cities. The magic hand of western 
enterprise, has converted the desolate, dreary, treeless plains of wild 
grass, great marshes, the abode of wolves, prairie chickens, muskrats and 
ducks, into beautiful homes of wealth and luxury and the grandest farms 
of America. 

THE CLIMATE OF lOW/i AND NEBRASKA. 

These states lie so nearly in the same latitude, separated only 
by the Missouri river that the soil, climate, productions and methods of 
farming are quite similar in most respects. 

The climate is dry and healthful, with hot summers, long and remark- 
ably pleasant autumns, dry winters with usually but little snow 
and seldom any rain. The storms and cold of the winters have been 
greatly exaggerated by eastern travelers. The storms are not more fre- 
quent or severe, and the cold no greater than in central New York. 

Prof. Parvin, of Iowa City, publishes tables in White's Greology of 
Iowa showing that for a period of thirty years from 1839 to '69 there was 
an average of nineteen days to the month in which no rain or snow fell. 
The average rainfall from 1848 to 1869 was twenty-seven inches per 
year. The average fall of snow during the same period of twenty-two 
years was thirty-three inches per year. The earliest fall of snow during 
this twenty-two years was October 17th. 1851. Prof. Parvin of the 
State University, who is one of the oldest citizens of Iowa, and has for 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 11 

nearly forty years been a careful observer of the weather, keeping 
an accurate record thereof, says: 

"It has happened but twice in a period of thirty years that frost 
in central Iowa has severely injured the corn crop." We learn also 
from his published records that the average time of the flowering of 
fruit trees for twenty-one years, was as follows: Apples, May sixth; 
peaches, May third, cherries. May second, plums. May second, pears. May 
fifth. The mean time for late frosts during this period was May fourth. 
The average number of days that the Mississippi river remained closed 
by ice at Muscatine, was sixty-seven, being from December twenty-third 
to February twenty-sixth, a little more than two months." 

THE MINERALS OF IOWA. 

Bituminous coal is found in the valley of the Mississippi in Scott Co. 
in the valley of the Iowa in and below Hardin Co. and in vast quantities 
along the Des Moines River and its tributaries below Fort Dodge. 
Shafts sunk out on the prairie, many miles from these streams have 
developed fine veins of coal in many parts of the State, demonstrating 
clearly that the supply of coal is practically inexaustable. Rich mines 
of lead are found in the vicinity of Dubuque, a large deposit of gypsum 
near Fort Dodge and excellent building stone is found in the eastern 
and central parts of the State. Clay for brick and pottery, limestone 
and marble are found in various localities, while granite boulders of 
large size are common in many of the counties. 

BREAKING PRAIRIE. 

It is a peculiarity of the prairie sod, that it will not rot well unless 
it is broken between the first of May and the middle of July. The 
month of June is the best time, but a fair crop can be raised the next 
season on sod turned over any time between the first starting of grass 
and midsummer. The breaking should always be done with a sharp 
plow, and run as shallow as possible, not cutting deeper than two inches. 
Of late years it has been found that a 

FLAX CROP 

is the most profitable on new breaking the first year. For a good crop, 



12 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

the seed should not be sown later than May, about half a bushel of the 
seed sown broadcast to fhe acre. It should then be thoroughly covered 
with a slanting tooth harrow, going over the ground three or four times. 
Nothing more is required until time for harvesting, when the crop is cut 
with a reaper and treated like small grain. The usual yield of seed 
varies from six to eighteen bushels per acre, and generally brings from 
eighty cents to one dollar per bushel. The land is left clean and in fine 
order for fall plowing and is in the best possible condition for raising 
wheat, corn, oats, or barley. 

SOD CORN. 

Corn is sometimes planted on new breaking either by dropping the 
seed in every third or fourth furrow after the breaking team, or by cut- 
ting into the sod with an ax and depositing the seed. In a favorable 
season a fair crop is sometimes raised in this way, butoftener it is nearly 
*a failure. 

BEANS ON BREAKING. 

A surer crop on new breaking than corn is white beans. They may 
be dropped in every second furrow and with no further care are apt to 
make a fair crop. Great care should be taken in harvesting to keep 
them off the damp ground, as they soon spoil if left on the ground in piles. 
They can be kept quite securely by driving stakes, putting some old hay 
or straw at the bottom, and stacking them up firmly around the pole, 
rounded to a point at the top and closely secured to the pole. 

BUCKWHEAT ON SOD. 

This is another crop that often succeeds well on breaking, being sown 
and harrowed similar to flax, half a bushel of seed to the acre being suf- 
ficient. This crop may be sown as late as the latter part of June. The 
chief objection to buckwheat is its tendency to seed the land for several 
successive years from the grain that falls while securing the crop, after 
it has matured. 



WESTEllN FARM HOMES. 



CHAPTER II. 



SELECTING A HOME. 

Too little consideration is often given to the selection of the Farm 
which is to be the Home for the husband, wife and the children, for 
many years of their lives. A farm is too often selected from accident 
or some special temporary incident, without that careful and deliberate 
consideration that should be given to such an important act. It is too 
often done in haste without carefully weighing all of the objections or 
advantages. Several farms are offered for sale in the vicinity where the 
^rchaser desires to settle. One may be from the necessities of the 
owner, offered at a very low price. It may be regarded as a bargain- in 
point of price. It may be badly cut up by ponds, marshes and sloughs, 
the soil may be inferior, it may be seeded with noxious weeds, it may be 
distant from school, postoffice, shops and stores. Its topography may 
render drainage very difficult and expensive; the fences and buildings 
may be poor, the soil exhausted by long cropping without a proper 
system of rotation of crops or fertilizing, it may be destitute of orchards, 
groves, and shade trees, and yet to a casual observer it might be regarded 
as a great bargain at twenty dollars an acre. 

Not far distant may be another 160 -acre farm that is convenient to 
schools, shops and stores ; it has good buildings, fences, orchard, groves 
and soil ; it is in a high state of cultivation ; has natural drainage, and 
the soil has been kept in a condition of high feriility by judicious rota- 
tion of crops and liberal use of fertilizers ; every acre may be capable 
of producing grain, hay, pasture, fruit, timber, or vegetables in profu- 
sion, but the price may be high — $40 per acre. Too many buyers 



14 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

would pei-Qiit the difference in price to determine for them which to 
purchase, and the poorer, run-down, exhausted, unhealthy, inconvenient 
farm would be selected for the family home for life — because it was so 
much cheaper than the other. Now let us see which was the best 
investment at the price asked for them. The poorer farm costs $3,200, 
while the good farm, in excellent repair and condition, costs $6,400. 
The purchaser of the cheap farm looks around at his buildings and 
finds that he must have a new house to make his family comfortable, or 
expend $1,000 in repairs and additions to the old one. Then his barn, 
granary, corn crib, and cattle sheds will require $500 more to put them 
in suitable condition to protect his hay, grain, horses, cattle and hogs. 
A wet season nearly ruins his wheat and oats for want of drainage, and 
the cockle burrs, wild buckwheat and barn grass compel him to expend 
a month's extra work on his corn crop, to keep the weeds from smoth- 
ering the corn. His fields are in irregular, broken patches, requiring 
more time to plow, harrow, cultivate and reap. His land is too wet to 
use a reaper on when his grain is ripe, and a large per cent is lost 
before his light crop can be secured. It takes the best part of a day 
to go to the postoffice, blacksmith shop, mill or store. He has no woodf 
and must purchase and draw his coal from a distant station. His child- 
ren must be taken to school in a severe winter or kept at home. At 
the end of their first year he has lost two months' time from farm work 
for himself and team in making the necessary trips to the post-office, 
stores, mill, shops, and in drawing to market his surplus grain, and pro- 
curing a supply of fuel and fencing. He must buy all of the fruit and 
every stick of timber used, while his loss on crops each^ year from 
exhausted soil, wet land and noxious weeds may be several hun- 
dred dollars. So in a financial point of view, the cheap farm soon 
proves to be a very expensive one. But the money consideration is not 
the only one, nor is it of the most importance. The farm should be a 
pleasant and attractive home for the family. Congenial neighbors, con- 
venience to church, school house, postoffice, and some town, are essen- 
tial luxuries that should, if possible, be indulged in. The family on 
most farms give too little time to social intercourse with their neigh- 
bors. The labor required of all members of the farmer's family is 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 15 

generally quite as heavy as they are able to perform, and amid the 
pressure of more work than can well be done, a,pportioned to each mem- 
ber, the recreations and social pleasures that women and child- 
dren delight in and enjoy so much, are too often crowded out and 
deferred from day to day, month to month, and year to year, receding 
as the years go by, and banishing from the household a thousand pleas- 
ures that might have been enjoyed. Our American farms are too much 
of work shops, instead of being the pleasant and attractive homes that 
they should be made. The great lesson that is needed to be impressed 
upon our western farmers, and one that can not be dwelt upon too 
largely or repeated too often is to make pleasant and attractive 
HOMES OF OUR FARMS. We have as a nation too little genuine attach- 
ment and love for our homes. He have grown up to regard them as 
only so much property, to be sold or exchanged for other property 
whenever a good offer is tendered. This light estimate that most of us 
have grown into placing upon our farms, has largely destroyed our real 
love of home. Whatever we regard as mere merchandise, to be bought, 
sold or traded for the purpose of gain, we do not set our affections 
upon. No family will permit themselves to become very strongly 
attached to a rented house or farm. But if we could feel that the 
quarter-section of wild prairie that we have selected, was to be con- 
verted into our home for life, every improvement we made upon it 
would be carefully considered, deliberately and substantially done, with 
a view to permanence, and to contributing to the comfort of ourselves 
and children for all the years of our future lives. Every tree planted 
would be regarded as a companion that was to remain with us, growing 
up like a child, becoming a fixture in our home, to be watched as it 
develops into a lofty, wide-spreading screen from summer's heat and 
winter's cold. Every building would be carefully planned for conve- 
nience and durability ; every fence constructed of the best material 
and located where it should remain undisturbed. We should plant 
more forest, shade, ornamental and fruit trees, with assurance that we 
or our children would enjoy the benefit and pleasure that they bring 
to every lover of nature's choicest gifts. Young men, make homes of 
your farms. Never permit yourselves to look upon God's broad acres 



16 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

granted to you — as merchandise to be misused, exhausted, desolated and 
traded off like a worn out jack knife. Cultivate a taste and love for 
your FARM HOME, and study to beautify and adorn it with useful and 
•rnamental trees, shrubs, groves, lawns, tasty and convenient build- 
ings, fences, meadows and hedges. Make it a beautiful home that 
will be prized and loved by all whose lives are associated with its 
history. 

LOCATION or THE HOUSE. 

In locating the house select high ground having good natural drain- 
age, so that no water will settle in the cellar or stand in pools around 
the yard. Avoid the immediate vicinity of large streams, marshes, low, 
damp land or stagnant pools. These are all sources ^of malaria and 
consequent sickness. Locate your house some distance from the pub- 
lic highway to avoid the annoyance of tramps, lightning rod peddlers, 
dust and dogs. If a good building place can be found near the middle 
of the farm, for many reasons such a location should be chosen. It 
brings the farmer nearer to his work. It gives him a view of his entire 
farm or most of it, and as most of the hay, grain and other products 
are stored in the vicinity of the buildings, such a location saves much 
travel and unnecessary conveyance of heavy loads over greater dis- 
tances. 

The barns, sheds, cribs and yards for all domestic animals should be 
a good distance from the house, thus preserving the home from the 
unpleasant odors, flies, noise and confusion, and protecting the hay, 
grain, stock and barns from the danger of fire. 

The house should be warm and well-built, with plenty of windows 
and doors on the south side to let in sunlight, give good ventilation and 
admit the prevailing south winds in the hot summer. The sills should 
be well raised above the earth and protected by stone or brick walls 
from contact with the ground. Too much care cannot be taken to see 
that the flues are made of hard brick, for soft brick, such as are often 
used are unsafe and cause most of the fires by cracking and aff'ording a 
chance for the fire to communicate with the wood work. Never trust 
a bricklayer to look after the safety of your chimneys, but sec to their 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 17 

construction yourself, and be sure that a thorough coating of good mor- 
tar is spread over the entire inside surface of the chimney as it is con- 
constructed. Have all sleeping rooms well ventilated with windows and 
transoms over the doors. No house is complete without a good coal or 
wood house t6 protect the fuel from snow and rain. The cellar should 
be divided into two rooms, one of which should be used for fruit and 
vegetables, and the other for milk, cream and butter. Milk is a great 
absorbent of all odors, and should never be kept in a room with decay- 
ing fruit or vegetables, or any other substance that emits an offens- 
ive odor. The well and cistern should be protected from any overflow 
of surface water. 

THE BARN AND GRANERY. 

These buildings should be located at some distance from the house 
No dwelling house can be made pleasant, attractive and a healthy place 
for a family to live in, that is in close proximity to stables, cattle yards 
or hog pens. The barn should be located on a gentle southern or eastern 
slope, in order to afford good drainage, and a warm exposure for the 
cattle in the winter. It will be found good economy to build a barn large 
enough to hold all the clover hay, for it is almost impossible to keep 
clover in good order in the stack. The stacks of timothy and native hay 
should be located on the west or north sides of the feeding yard, that 
they may afford additional shelter from winter winds. A grove of native 
forest trees, interspersed with Scotch and Austrian pines should be 
planted on the east, north and west sides of all farm buildings to afford 
protection from the fierce winter winds and driving snows. No other 
shelter is equal to a good grove having in it plenty of pines, to protect 
stock from winter storms. It must not be understood that groves are 
recommended as a substitute for barns, sheds and stables, but they are 
needed in addition to all farm buildings in the prairie states. 

SHELTER FOR STOCK. 

No farmer or stock grower should ever undertake to keep any kind 
of live stock through the winter without good shelter from wind and 
storms. The additional amount of hay and grain required to keep stock 



18 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

in good condition without shelter, will each winter cost enough to build 
sheds for them. The pioneer prairie farmer, who has no money to buy 
lumber with, can construct comfortable sheds of sod and prairie grass. 
Take your breaking plow to a low peice of prairie where the sod is 
heavy and tough, and break up to a debth of four or five inches as much 
sod as may needed for the walls of the sheds. With a sharp spade cut 
up the sod in blocks of suitable size to handle and begin your wall for the 
sheds by building up as you would with brick. When at the proper 
highth, place wide boards along on top of the finished wall to protect it, 
and rest the poles upon. Set a few posts to support the poles needed 
to sustain the roof, and cover the structure with long slough grass, 
giving the roof slope enough to carry off rains. Such a building can be 
used for horses or cattle temporarily for two or three winters, until 
permanent buildings can be afforded. Thousands of cattle perish every 
year from cold and exposure to the pitciless storms, when such cheap 
shelters as these would have saved them. Every settler on a prairie 
farm, should plant groves as soon as the sod can be subdued. Let the 
trees be growing to shelter your family and domestic animals while you 
work and sleep and grow old. Plant trees; no other labor or investment 
adds so much to the comfort of your family and stock, nor so much to 
the value of your prairie home. No home is worthy of the name, that is 
destitute of trees — for fruit, shade, ornament and shelter. We shall have 
more to say of tree planting in another place. 

FARM CROPS. 

The kind of crops that will prove most profitable must necessarily be 
determined by each farmer for himself, taking into consideration the 
location as to markets, soil, cost of labor etc. Raising small grain in 
the prairie states, where the surplus must be sent by railroads to distant 
markets, where labor is dear and grain cheap, is a ruinous system of 
farming. It rapidly exhausts the soil, requires expensive machinery and 
a large amount of help when such help is required by all of the neighbors 
at high wages, and after all expenses are paid and the crop sold, the net 
profit is generally very small. The prairie states are generally better 
adapted to corn and grass growing, enabling the farmer who turns his 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 19 

attention to this system of culture, to keep cattle, horses, hogs and sheep 
to consume nearly all of his surplus products on the farm. The study 
of western farmers should be to concentrate and condense the bulk and 
value of all surplus products into the smallest possible compass of the 
greatest possible value. Hay for Example is not usually worth more 
than from 25 to 35 cents per hundred weight, and corn is not often 
worth more than 50 cents per 100 lbs. While beef usually sells at from 
$3.00 to $5.00 per 100 lbs, pork at a little more, cheese at from $8. to 
$10. per 100 and first class butter at from $15. to $25. per 100 lbs. 
Where the ultimate market is and must largely remain many hundred 
of miles east or west of us, over costly lines of rail transportation, we will 
find it profitable to condense our bulky straw, stalks, hay, corn and oats 
into high priced beef, pork, horses, cheese and butter before it is shipped. 

FEED THE SOIL. 

The intelligent farmer must admit that for permanent profit it is as 
essential to success, to feed the soil liberally as to feed his live stock 
generously. It is no more ruinous policy to starve domestic animals, 
than to starve the soil. If every prairie farmer could realize the truth 
of this statement as fully as the writer of this book has seen it demon- 
strated in his thirty years of farm experience, we should see more clover 
fields, more buckwheat raised to plow under^more attention everywhere 
given to the intelligent rotation of crops and the saving and using of 
kinds of manure that can be made on the farm. It takes many years of 
reckless farming with wheat after wheat, and corn after corn to exhaust 
the grain producing elements of our fertile prairie farms. But the time 
comes sooner or later when the fertility must be renewed. All will 
admit that the return of some kind of fertilizer to the soil either by seeding 
to clover, pasturing, turning under green crops or other manure is the 
only way in which land can be preserved in condition to insure unimpaired 
productiveness. 



STOCK RAISi:N^a, 



CHAPTER III. 



THE BEST BREEDS OF HORSES. 

For. many years the old system of wheat-raising has been giving way 
to the later and better system of diversified farming. Corn largely 
takes the place of wheat in all of the prairie country south of the 43d 
degree of latitude. With the enlarged production of corn follows the 
raising and feeding of horses, cattle, hogs and sheep. 

As the raising of horses has seemed to require more capital and care, 
it has not yet become as prominent a feature of western farming as 
cattle and hog-raising ; but as capital accumulates many intelligent 
farmers are taming their attention to raising horses. Large importa- 
tions of improved breeds are now annually being brought into the west- 
ern states, and some of our western breeders and importers are acquir- 
ing wide reputation. 

THE PERCHERON - NORMAN HORSES. 

This famous breed of heavy French horses originated many hundred 
years ago in the interior of France. They acquired the name from the 
ancient province of La Perche, situated south-west from Paris. They 
are identical with the famous Norman war-horses used by the knights 
in the days of chivalry. This race of horses seems to have gradually 
developed in that part of France from the care and attention given for 
many successive generations in breeding only from the best animals. 
Many years ago these horses were only known in this country under the 
general name of " French " horses. They are noted for good disposi- 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 21 

tion, heavy build, great strength and endurance, as well as activity. 
About ninety per cent of the Percherons are grey or dappled, some 
being nearly white, while others are black. They are remarkable for 
transmitting their own peculiar qualities to their offspring in a marked 
degree. The height of the Percheron varies from fifteen to sixteen 
and a half hands; weight from 1,300 to 1,700 lbs. 

THE MORGAN HORSE. 

This popular breed originated in Vermont in 1793. The horse called 
Justin Morgan was foaled in that year ; his sire was True Briton, and 
his dam was of the Wild Air breed. The descendants became the justly 
celebrated Morgan horses. They have been very popular in the Eastern 
States and their fame has extended to every part of the country. They 
are rather small in size, but strong, active and showy. The original 
Justin Morgan was fourteen hands high, and weighed 950 lbs. The 
Morgans are fine carriage and saddle horses, but too light for heavy 
teaming. 

THE ARABIAN HORSE. 

While beautiful and very docile, and particularly adapted to travers- 
ing the great deserts on scanty feed, have not proved to be of great 
value in England where they have been crossed with the native stock. 
The stock is not remarkable there for speed or indurance. 

THE CLYDESDALES. 

For heavy horses the Clydesdales from Scotland are growing in popu- 
larity. The average height is about sixteen hands. They are rather 
low of stature, with heavy bodies and limbs, and are noted for their 
great strength as draft horses. There is a growing demand for the 
Clydesdales for crossing with our native stock. In color they are 
usually black or brown, but bay is not uncommon. The average weight 
is perhaps 1,700 or 1,800 lbs. 

THE MESSENGER STOCK. 

This breed is traced in this country from Messenger, imported from 



22 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

England in 1788. His descendants are widely scattered tlirougliont 
New York and New Jersey, and from him came many celebrated and 
valuable animals, such as Potomac, Hambletonian and Membrino. 
They were noted for speed and endurance, and most of the best horses 
in the two States named trace their pedigree back to the Messenger 
stock. 

THE CONESTOGA 

Is a heavy roadster, principally reared in Pennsylvania, and is a mix- 
ture of several breeds, but is traced back to the Flemish horse, popular 
among the German emigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. 

THE ENGLISH CART HORSE 

Is used largely for drays in cities, and for heavy teaming. 

THE CLEVELAND BAYS 

Are attracting considerable attention as fine carriage horses. 

Of the many fine breeds of trotters and fast horses we have not room 
to treat in this book. 

THE BEST BREEDS OF CATTLE. 

SHORT HORNS. 

This noted breed of English origin, has become the most widely pop- 
ular of any of the imported stock. They are especially valuable for 
beef, maturing at an early age and attaining large size and fine, compact 
form, laying"on flesh very rapidly with good care and feed. Crossed 
with our native cows a good dairy herd is obtained. The early import- 
ations of sixty years ago were noted for their good dairy qualities. 
Some of the cows brought over about that time were remarkable for 
their L:erits as profitable dairy animals. But their superiority f 3r beef 
soon became so well established in this country that more attention was 
given to those strains noted for early maturity, rapid growth and large 
size. Fabulous prices were for many years paid for choice imported 
animals and their thoroughbred progeny, bulls selling as high as 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 23 

from $7,000 to $10,000 for an extra choice animal of the most fashiona- 
ble strain, while choice cows frequently sold at from $1,000 to $2,500 
each. But in 1874 prices declined rapidly, and good thoroughbred 
bulls one year old can be pulchased for from $75 to $125 each. The 
short horns require good feed and good care, and with such treatment 
are a profitable breed of cattle. 

THE HOLSTEINS. 

This breed of cattle originated in North Holland, where they have 
been bred and improved for a long time. Their surpassing excellence 
seems to be their milking qualities, coupled with large size, compact 
massive frame, capable of making good beef. They are generally 
black and white with short horns, hair soft, fine and silky. The cows 
often weigh from 1,000 to 1,400 lbs., and the bulls from 2,000 to 2,500. 
The Holsteins for beef are probably not as profitable as Short Horns, 
but for dairy purposes they are superior. 

THE AYRSHIRES 

Are Scotch cattle, and are essentially a dairy breed. They are hardy, 
docile and yield a liberal supply of milk. Mr. Aiton says, " an Ayr- 
shire cow may be reckoned to yield 257 English pounds of butter per 
annum. He adds that 28 gallons of milk with cream will yield 24 
pounds of sweet milk cheese, or 574 pounds per annum besides the 
whey and calf." For beef they are inferior to the Short Horns. 

THE ALDERNEY, JERSEY AND GUERNSEY. 

These cattle are natives of Normandy in France, but were long 
ago transplanted to the British Islands of Jersey, Gruernsey and Alder- 
ney, lying off the coast of Normandy. They are small, gentle, rather 
homely little pets, of kind disposition, light red or fawn color, smoky 
gray and sometimes pretty white. The Gruernsey cows are generally 
larger and coarser than the Jerseys and Alderneys, The Alderney is 
prized for marked richness and deep, yellow color of her milk, which is 
very rich in cream and butter. They require good shelter and care. 
The Jerseys are becoming a popular breed among town people who keep 



24 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

but one or two cows, owing to the exceeding ricliness of the milk and 
cream. They make very fine beef also, but are inferior in size, and can 
never compete with the larger breeds for profitable feeding; but for rich 
milk and superb butter the Jerseys are unequalled. 

THE DEVONS. 

The Devons are traced back in origin to about the time of the inva- 
sion of England by the Romans. In fineness of limb, uniformity of 
color, delicacy of proportions, they are unequalled. They are like no 
other, and by no intermixture with other breeds can they be reproduced. 
In size the Devon is medium as compared with other native cattle. 
The average weight of a well grown ox in good condition will range 
from 1,400 to 1,600 lbs., cows from 800 to 1,000. The Devon cows 
give but a moderate supply of milk, but its quality is superior. The 
Devons are a beautiful red color, docile and easy to keep, have fine 
horns and silky hair. As work oxen the Devons have no superiors. 

THE HEREFORDS. 

The Herefords are an ancient breed of English origin, generally red, 
with mottled faces, sometimes running into light with white faces. 
They are larger and coarser than the Devons. As a dairy breed they 
have little reputation. As work oxen they arc among the best, being 
kind, intelligent and strong. For beef the Herefords are very profita- 
ble, being of good size, hardy and maturing early. They are of late 
years much sought after by the large cattle raisers on the plains, as 
they are regarded as hardier than the Short Horns. ' 

THE GALLOWAYS. 

This a polled or hornless race of cattle, originated in the lowlands of 
Scotland. They are short in the leg, broad in the back, and nearly 
level from head to rump. The prevailing color is black, but some are 
dark brindle, some dun color, and a few speckled with white. The 
cows give but a small quantity of milk, from six to eight quarts per 
day at their very best, and go dry from two to three months. The aver- 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 25 

age weight of fat bullocks at- three and a half years old is not more 
than 900 lbs. The heaviest at five years old are reported at 1,400 
lbs. They are adapted to a hilly, rough, grazing country, and thrive 
where a Short Horns could hardly support life. 

POLLED CATTLE. 

Some attention has lately been given by western breeders to the horn- 
less or polled cattle. In Scotland and England there is a distinct breed 
of black hornless cattle, which has been well distributed in the United 
Kingdoms. The cattle are not equal to Short Horns for beef, nor to 
Jerseys or Alderneys for milk, their chief merit being lack of horns. 
Some western breeders have improved the native hornless cattle by 
breeding the native hornless cows to Short Horn bulls, thus getting 
desirable polled cattle. 

OUR NATIVE CATTLE. 

Our native cattle have no distinctive character, although in some 
localities they are superior to others. They are a mixture of several 
European breeds, having -their origin in the cattle brought over by 
Dutch, French, English, Scotch and Spanish emigrants hundreds of 
years ago. The mixture for many generations has been going on until 
we find among the natives all shapes, colors, sizes and forms. The 
chief defect in the natives for beef is the lack of early maturity, the 
large proportion of ofFal to flesh, and the uncertainty as to quality and 
quantity of milk. They are large consumers of food in proportion to 
the flesh they carry. But by selecting the best specimens for milk and 
crossing with thoroughbred males, we get excellent grade animals. 
There are some excellent dairy cows found among our native stock, but 
they are the exceptions. 

Every farmer and stock grower should aim to raise that grade of cat- 
tle in which there is the most clear profit, taking into consideration the 
purpose for which he designs his stock. If selling milk is his chief 
aim he should select that breed which produces the greatest quantity of 
milk. If butter is the object, cows giving the richest milk, that yield- 



26 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

ing the most cream should be chosen. If beef is the primary object, 
that breed of cattle that mature youngest and take on flesh fastest 
and attain the greatest weight on a given amount of feed should be 
chosen. 

THP] VARIOUS BREEDS OF SHEEP. 

THE COTSWOLDS 

Are fine large mutton sheep and often shear from ten to sixteen pounds 
of wool per head. The carcass at two years old frequently weighs over 
200 pounds. They are a hardy race and not liable to disease. They are 
prolific breeders, the ewes frequently having two lambs at a birth. 

THE LINCOLNSHIRES 

Resemble the Cotswolds in many respects, and only a practiced eye can 
distinguish them. 

THE LEICESTERS 

Are of similar origin and qualities and are among the valued long wool 
sheep. There has been from time immemorial numerous flocks of these 
large coarse-wool sheep existing in numerous localities of England, all 
coming from a common origin, and the different names have been derived 
from the locality in which they have been kept for a long period, the 
names Leicester, Cotswold and Lincolnshire thus attaching. Careful 
breeding has thus given to the world these varieties of long wool sheep 
which have been widely scattered over the old and new world. The 
fleece is adapted by its length and absence of felting properties to the 
manufacture of worsteds, bombazines, and mousseline delaines. It is 
also extensively iised in carpets and many other fabrics. 

THE SOUTH DOWNS. 

This is a hardy breed of medium sized sheep furnishing a fair quality 
of wool and a superior quality of mutton. Great improvement has been 
made in the South Downs in the past 70 years by careful and intelligent 
breeding. The size and form have been improved, and early maturity 
and productiveness attained. They will shear from 3 to 4 lbs clean 
washed wool of quality equal to a good Merino. The live weight of well 
fattened South Downs has not unfrcquently reached 200 lbs. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 27 

THE MERINOS. 

These fine wool sheep from France and Spain have been largely intro- 
duced into the United States. The prominent features of this breed are 
abundance and fineness of fleece, the tenacity with which it is held, its 
crimped or spiral form, its felting properties and the large amount of 
oil it contains. This oily property with the compactness of the fleece 
repels snow, rain and wind like a coat of mail, thus fitting them to endure 
exposure. The Merinos are long lived often living 18 or 20 years. They 
are small boned medium size, the ewes weighing about 80 lbs and the 
rams from 140 to 160. The mutton is excellent in quality. 

The old practice of washing sheep has of late years been generally 
abandoned as cruel and useless, and buyers do not pay enough additional 
to justify washing. 

THE VARIOUS BREEDS OF SWINE. 

THE BERKSHIRE. 

The origin of this breed of hogs is traced back about a century, and 
the first improvement appears to have come from a cross of a Siamese 
boar upon the old Berkshire swine of England. The marked and valu- 
able improvements attained have come from better methods of keeping 
and feeding, and the judicious selection for breeding purposes of the 
best animals calculated to fix and develop the most desirable points. 
The chief points of excellence claimed for the Berkshire are : their 
ability to resist disease ; their wonderful digestive and assimilating 
power ; their great prolificacy and the remarkable strength and vigor of 
the pigs when young ; the aptitude to lay on flesh along the back as 
along the sides ; the facility with which they may be fattened at an 
early age. 

CHESTER WHITES. 

A writer who is an admirer of this breed of hogs thus describes 
them : " They are known by their white color, great length and depth 
of carcass, small heads and offal parts, capacity for growing to great 
size, sometimes weighing at two years old from 700 to 900 pounds. 



28 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

With an equal amount of food the Chester Whites will make more and 
better pork than any other breed of hogs. They fatten very readily." 
Notwithstanding this enthusiastic description, comparatively few are 
kept in the Mississippi valley. There must be some good reason for it. 
They originated in Chester county, Pennsylvania. 

THE POLAND CHINA. 

This popular breed appears to have had its origin in Butler county, 
Ohio, some time between 1830 and 1840, and to have been a cross 
between the Poland hogs and China breed that was kept in that region. 
Magie and Moore, two careful breeders have developed this cross by care- 
ful breeding into what is now known as the Poland (Jhina breed. This 
breed of hogs is very popular in the great corn-growing States, and has 
been widely distributed through the Mississippi valley. They attain 
large size, take on flesh rapidly and mature young. In color they are 
black and sandy. 

THE ESSEX. 

This is an old English breed, smaller than most others, fine boned, with 
small nose and ears. Color is solid black. They arc highly esteemed 
for fine quality of pork, but in the west are considered too small to be 
profitable. 

JERSEY REDS. 

This breed originated in New Jersey. They are red in color and 
deep in carcass, not so lengthy as the Chesters, but are compactly 
built. They mature young and frequently attain at eighteen months 
old an average weight of 500 lbs. At ten months old they average 
about 425 lbs. 

Of the many other breeds of hogs we have not space to treat in this 
work, but refer the reader to more elaborate stock books and agricul- 
tural papers. 



THE DAIRY. 



CHAPTER V. 



Of late years stock raising and dairying has grown into large propor- 
tions in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. Wheat raising has been 
found too expensive and unreliable for a profitable and continuous busi- 
ness, and the tendency has been towards growing corn, grass, hogs, cat- 
tle, butter and cheese. The cash outlay involved in producing grain for 
market, the heavy freight charges that are required to transport it to 
distant markets, the uncertainty of a good crop arising from insect dep- 
redations and other causalties, its rapid exhaustion of the fer- 
tility of the soil— have induced many of the most far-seeing and intelli- 
gent of our farmers of the west to turn their attention toward stock 
and dairy farming. 

The wild prairie grasses which are exceedingly rich, nutritious and 
valuable in their season for pasture, and at all times for hay, are rap- 
idly disappearing in the older settled portions of the prairie states. 
Cultivated grass, such as red and white clover, timothy, blue grass, red 
top and orchard grass all grow readily and luxuriantly in these states, 
and make more desirable meadows and pasturage than the native 
grasses. More grass and less grain is now the theory practiced by the 
best farmers, and its advocates are becoming more numerous every year. 
Let the cattle, hogs and sheep do their own harvesting is the prevailing 
sentiment among the most thoughtful. Large herds of improved cattle 
are found in every part of the west. More attention is given to forage 
plants and less to grain. Since the introduction of the new methods of 
butter-making by creameries, prices of butter have advanced, owing to 
the marked improvment in quality. Cheese-making is carried on 
in the most approved manner also, diminishing the cost and incrcas- 



30 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

ing the price from labor-saving and superior merit, until some of the 
"Western states now rank as high for dairy products as any in the East. 

THE BEST DAIRY BREED. 

F. D. Curtis, of New York, at the late meeting of the Dairymen's 
Convention gives his opinion on this subject as follows : 

Have you the requisite stock? If you have not, this you must obtain 
from some source ; for in this age of sharp competition and oleomar- 
garine you cannot succeed with cows that give inferior milk, or milk in 
very small quantity. If you want to make butter, select or rear cows 
that give at least a fair yield of milk rich in cream. If you want 
to make cheese, get the stock that gives the largest yield of milk, 
rich in caseine. I understand the favorite stock of this section is the 
Durham or Short Horn. These are splendid animals for beef — probably 
the best in the world — and beef production is an important, and I presume 
a profitable industry of the West. Some families of the Short Horns are 
splendid milkers and good butter-makers. But in selecting a strain for 
dairy purposes it is necessary to exercise great care, lest you get one 
out of which nearly all the milking qualities have been been bred, in 
order to make the stock beautiful and beefy. 

The Devon s are accounted good butter cows, and are great favorites 
in some portions of the Empire State. They give a rather small mess 
of rich milk, and would not be so profitable for cheese. 

The Jerseys are in my state considered the best butter cows per se, 
and the high color and flavor of their butter have made it quite gener- 
ally the standard in the popular mind. They are small animals, 
rather angular in build, but with beautiful fawn-like heads and 
faces that make them very winning. They give a small mess of very 
rich milk, and it is not an uncommon thing for one of them to make 
two pounds of butter daily in the flush of the season. 

The Ayrshire gives a larger mess of milk, but not so rich in cream. 
Her milk compares favorably with much of the Shorthorn, but is 
accounted with us better for cheese than for butter. 

Of the older and well-known breed, these are the chief with us. 
But two new breeds are coming rapidly into favor. In Solsville, Madi- 
ison county. New York, originated a breed beginning to be known now 
as the American Holdevness. They are line-back, white, spotted with 
red, or brindle, or black, and of medium size. They are deep milkers, 
and give milk closely approaching in richness that of the Jerseys. A 
herd of twenty, owned by the originator, has averaged three hundred 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 3l 

pounds of butter per cow yearly for several years past, and the butter is 
fancy, selling in the Utica market for five to ten cents a pound above 
the market price of the finer grades of butter. The herd was origina- 
ted by Truman A. Cole, by the practice of twenty-seven years of the 
closest possible inbreeding. 

The other breed of cattle coming rapidly into favor is the Holstein. 
The principal herd of these, in our state, is that of the Messrs. Smiths 
& Powell, Syracuse. These animals are large, as heavy as the Short- 
horns, spotted black and white, and are most remarkable milkers. An 
annual yield of 10,000 to 16,000 pounds of milk is not uncommon for 
a cow of this breed. From the best of my observation, and from the 
recorded analysis of Holstein milk, I am of the opinion that it is rich 
both in butter and cheese. The butter made from it is of excellent 
quality, and no one has disputed that the milk makes good cheese. 

HOW TO MANAGE THE DAIRY. 

0. S. Kilbourn, of Elysian, 111., says : 

Grood cows, well fed and well watered, will produce good milk — well 
watered means plenty of good healthy water from a running stream or 
good well. It is a notorious fact that poor water or water from stag- 
nant pools is the cause of more taint in milk in summer time than any- 
thing else. Salt, regularly given, ?dds to the quantity as well as the 
quality of milk. If it be possible, let your cows have access to plenty 
of shade during the hot days of summer, for many a can of milk is 
spoiled by a single pailful being drawn from a cow in an overheated 
condition. Do not hurry your cows. Do not allow your men to beat 
them, nor dogs to worry them. They will give more and better milk 
for the kindness bestowed on them. When your men come to milk 
insist that they clean the bags and teats with water, if they need it, 
and then dry them before milking, and for heaven's sakes don't allow 
them to drain the dirty mixture into the pail. Look to it, that every 
pail, every strainer, every can, is washed in cold water first, and allowed 
to get the sun's rays upon them if possible, for there is no purifier like 
good pure air and a bright sun. My attention has lately been 
called to an excellent pail known as the Perfect Milk Pail, having a 
long and somewhat flaring spout, into which the milk is injected, the 
top is covered and upon its sits the milker. It prevents odors of the 
stable from getting into the milk, also any dirt or filth that often drops 
from the cow's body or bag ; neither can the cow gently plant her foot 
or switch her tail into the milk as she is wont to do occasionally. 

Every dairy farm should be providded with a good milk house, situ- 



32 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAT.. 

ated at good distance from the cow stable, so that it may be free from 
the disagreeable odors that milk is always sure to absorb if left all 
night in the cow stable. If you have not running water in the milk 
house, provide yourscf with a good wind mill pump. As soon as the 
milk is drawn, carry it at once to the milk house. Have the water 
about your cans changed several times and the milk stirred to prevent 
cream raising, until it is cooled to about sixty degrees for the night's 
milk and sixty-five degrees for the morning's. During all this time 
be sure and leave the can covers off to allow the animal heat to escape. 
Do not mix your morning's and night's milk, but place them in sepa- 
rate cans even if you have only a can altogether. Carry to the factory 
as s^on after milked as it is cooled to the proper temperature, using, if 
possible a spring wagon, to prevent too great churning of the milk on 
rough roads.. Always cover your cans with a blanket to protect the 
milk from the sun in summer and from the cold in winter. The cardi- 
nal points : 1st, Good food and water. 2d, Cleanliness in utensils 
and milkers. 3d, Properly cooling and stirring the milk in open cans 
set in cold water. 4th, Milk house removed from cow stable. 5th, 
Carry to factory with care. 

THE CREAMERY. 

As there is a growing desire on part of the people to know more of 
the creameries, we here present some facts from reliable sources. John 
Stewart, of Iowa, an experienced and intelligent butter maker, gives the 
following 

DIRECTIONS FOR BUTTER MAKING: 

In winter have a good, warm, dry place for your cows. Feed ground 
feed. Ground corn, oats and barley, mixed with equal portions of each, 
is the best food to produce quality and quantity combined. Give the 
cow plenty of sweet hay and pure water. 

Milk pails and pans should be thoroughly scalded and cleansed every 
time before using. A pan that can be set in a water vat is best. Use 
tin pails for milking — never wooden pails. 

If you have nothing but a cellar, see that it is properly ventilated, 
and do not have anything else in the cellar with the milk. The cellar 
should be thoroughly whitewashed every season, and kept sweet and 
clean. In warm weather you should have water vats, containing enough 
cold water to come up around the pans as deep as the milk in the pans. 
A temperature of sixty-two to sixty-five degrees will keep the milk 
sweet thirty-six hours. 

Skimming should be attended to in proper season, if everything else 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL, 33 

is neglected. The neglect to take off the cream at the proper time, 
spoils more butter than anything else connected with its manufacture. 
You must watch your milk in warm weather, and not let it thicken 
before the cream is taken off. Ordinarily the cream should be taken 
off in thirty-six hours after setting the milk. It never should stand 
over forty-eight hours, and it is often necessary to take it off in twenty- 
four hours. If it stands over forty-eight hours it makes bitter butter. 
Milk should never set in cold weather where it will chill ; it injures the 
milk as much to chill as to keep it at too high a temperature in warm 
weather. Observe these directions closely in regard to skimming. 

Churn every day. if possible. Cream should not be kept longer than 
forty-eight hours, at most. It should be a little acid. Have the cream 
at a temperature of fifty-eight to sixty degrees in winter. Do not 
churn too quicldy; twenty to thirty minutes is quick enough. Stop 
token the butter comes. Before it forms in mass draw off the butter- 
milk, and wash it with clear, cold water, or, what is better, cold brine, 
until the water runs off clear. Then gather and remove it to the 
worker. 

Work the salt thoroughly through the butter, about one ounce to the 
pound. After you have worked the salt thoroughly through the butter, 
set it in a cool, clean place for twenty-four hours. Then work all the 
milk out, and occasionally dash cool water or brine over the butter as 
you work it. Don't loork it too muGh. 

PACKING. 

Never pack in crocks. Get the best tubs you can, even if they cost 
a little more. Soak the tub in brine twenty-four hours before using. 
Pack the butter closely, and be careful that it is pressed closely to the 
sides and bottom of the tub. Fill level with the top of the tub; don't 
make it dishing nor round on top, but use a straight- edge, or something 
to level it. Put a clean bleached muslin cloth, saturated with brine, 
over the top. 

PACKAGES. 

Very neat packages only should be used ; those that are rough, 
uncouth, and irregular, should be avoided when it is possible. The 
package should be as light as is consistent with carrying its contents 
perfectly. In a lot of goods, let all the packages be of the same size, 
shape and style. This is v.ery important. In shipping articles that 
require air, be sure to allow for ventilation. There is very great loss 
constantly occurring by shipping perishable fruits in close packages* 

3A 



34 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

When articles are to be sold by the package, those of standard size only 
should be used. 

Packages should not be "topped oflf" with the best of the contents, 
but show on opening an average of the quality. 

RULES FOR THE GUIDANCE OF PATRONS FURNISHING MILK TO CREAM- 
ERIES OR CHEESE FACTORIES. 

1st. That the patrons give their cows free access to salt, or salt 
them regularly as often as twice a week. 

2d, That they provide them with pure water, and as far as possible 
prevent them from using any other. 

3d. That their cows be fed no whey or similar slops. 

4th. That they must not allow their cows to be worried by dogs or 
other brutes, biped or quadruped. 

5th. That cows in heat should be separated from the herd as far as 
practicable. 

6th. That they see that their pails and cans are clean, and use no 
rusty or wooden ones. 

7th. That they keep all foreign substances out of their milk as 
much as possible, and wash the cows udders before milking, if dirty ; 
remember that no straining will cleanse milk once dirty. 

8th. That the milk cans be set in water at the commencement of 
milking, and let the water in the cooling tubs always be higher than the 
milk in the cans. 

9th. That night's and morning's milk must not be mixed; unless in 
case of small quantities, short distances to be carried, and the morning's 
milk cooled before being put in the can. 

10th. That cooling places be at a good distance from dung-heaps, 
decaying straw, hog troughs, etc., and exposed as much as possible to 
pure air, and do not suffer pools of stagnant water to collect around 
them. 

11th. That the milk be stirred thoroughly during the cooling pro- 
cess. 

12th. That in perilous times the night's milk be cooled to sixty 
degrees and the morning's as cool as cold water around the cans will 
make it during milking. 

I3th. That the cans must not be closed till ready to start to factory. 

14th. That the cans of milk be protected from rain by sheds or 
coverings above and clear from the top of cans. 

15th. That the patrons bring milk to the factory from none but 
healthy cows, and not till four days after calving. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 35 

16th. That if in doubt as to the good ([uality of the milk on 
account of inflamed udders, curdled milk, bad teats, etc., try it on your 
own tables, and if you do not like to try it you may be sure that your 
factoryman does not wish to. 

17th. That all patrons report accidental or unavoidable variations 
from these rules to their cheese maker, that he may note the result. 

ESTIMATED COST OF OUTFITS FOR CHEESE FACTORIES. 

Having many inquiries from parties intending to engage in the dairy 
business, as to the cost of outfits for factories and private dairies, esti- 
mates for various sized factories are here given. Some may require 
extra articles, not enumerated, but in the main the following will be 
found all that is necessary : 

FOR A DAIRY OF FIFTY COWS. 

One No. 10 vat $60 00 

Three 16-inch hoops and followers, 12 inches deep 6 75 

Three plain press screws 7 50 

One 8-blade curd knife 2 65 

One thermometer 40 

One curd scoop 1 00 

One curd pail 1 50 



Total $79 80 

FOR A FARM DAIRY OF ONE HUNDRED COAVS. 

One No. 12 heater vat $85 00 

Six 15x12 hoops 13 50 

Six plain screws 15 00 

One 12-blade curd knife 3 85 

Thermometer, curd scoop and pail 2 90 



Total $120 25 

FOR A FACTORY WITH TWO HUNDRED COWS. 

One No. 18 vat $115 00 

Ten 16-inch hoops 22 5'i 

Ten screws 25 00 

One 14-blade curd knife 4 45 

One set Fairbank's 400-lb. platform scales, with wheels 19 50 

One 60-gallon weighing can 10 00 

One set testing instruments 2 50 

One dozen test tubes 75 

One milk conductor, 8 feet 5 I'O 

One thermometer 40 

One curd pail and scoop r 2 50 

Total $2:7 60 

FOR A FACTORY WITH FOUR HUNDRED COWS. 

Where more than one vat is required, would recommend steam for heating, and estimate 
as follows : 

One six -horse brick set boiler, half -front 7 $140 00 

Two 600-gallon steam vats I'KI 00 

Eighteen hoops and screws 85 50 

Curd sink , 18 -C 



36 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Smoke stack, pump, pipes aiul iittijig^;, about 40 OO 

Other articles, as in previous csUmute 40 25 

Total $433 75 

FOR A FAC'TOUT WITH FIVE OK SIX HUNDKED COAVS. 

Three 600-gallon vats .' $150 00 

One 7-horse half-frout Ixnler. lor brick 160 00 

Twenty-four 6-inch hoops and screws 114 00 

Smokc-.staclv and boiler primp, about 25 00 

One set Fairbanks scales, Avith wheels 24 75 

One ^et 240 lb scaler 10 50 

One 15 bl:MU' curd knife 4 75 

One SO-eollou weighing can 12 00 

One rubber mop 65 

Cnrd sink, small tin 18 00 

Other small articles, as in previous estimate 1165 

Expense of pir-es, valves, etc., about 10 CO 

Total'. $541 30 

If steam engine is required, add $]3i, and about $5 for extra pipes and flttings. 

By comparing tlie above lists, a correct idea of the cost of any sized 
factory can be computed. Where it is intended to make butter as 
well as cheese, a larger boiler may be needed ; but as much of the addi- 
tional expense will depend upon the situation of the factory, the supply 
of water, and the manner of setting the milk, a special estimate will be 
b« necessary. 

CHEESE MAKING. 

Hon. Hiram Smith, ©ne of the veteran dairymen of Wisconsin, at a 
recent Convention of Towa Dairymen gave his method of cheese making 
as follows: 

It may be safely assumed, that for the general market, the "English 
Cheddar" stands pre-eminently at the head, and the best American 
cheese makers have achieved success in its manufacture, and there is 
no dispute among exporters and consumers, that the best American 
cheese takes no second place. At the recent International Dairy Fair 
in New York, Canada took the first prize and Wisconsin the second prize 
for cheese made anywhere in tlie world. This desireable point was 
reached in the presence of the best English cheddar cheese. It is safe 
to say that this kind of cheese is recognized as the most desirable 
cheese made in America. There is no more dispute among experts in 
regard to its excellence, when properly made, than there is among master 
masons in regard to brick. In its manufacture there are well defined 
rules to observe, a process that one person can teach another person, 
briefly stated as follows: The evening's milk cooled to 70 degrees, the 
morning's milk ?idded, and the mass thoroughly stirred and sufficient 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 37 

heat applied to raise tlie temperature to about 85 degrees, when rennet 
or extract of rennet should be added, so the milk will coagulate in one 
hour — when the curd becomes firm. It should be cut with a gang knife 
perpendicularly and allowed to stand about five minutes, when a hori- 
zontal knife should make it as fine as kernels of corn, the heat gradually 
raised to 100 degrees and kept almost constantly stirred, in the mean- 
time drawing oif a large part of the whey, leaving just sufficient whey to 
float the curds to prevent it adhearing together, and kept in this condi- 
tion—it may be one hour, it may be four hours— kept until an acid is 
developed sufficient to have the curd spin one-fourth of an inch when 
applied to a heated iron, when all the warm water under the vat should 
be removed and cold water supplied, which checks the further develop- 
ment of acid, when the remaining whey should be removed and the curd 
allowed to drain, cool, be areated and salted, and put to press. When 
well pressed, twenty-four or forty-eight hours, it should be placed in a 
curing room where the temperature can be controlled, so that it should 
never be above eighty degrees nor below fifty-five degrees. If salted 
two pounds to the 100 of cheese it ripens early, if three and one-half 
pounds to the 100 the ripening is delayed much longer. If these rules 
arc observed (and they can be and are in hundreds of cases), the cheese 
will be uniformly close, mellow, mild flavor, rich in quality, and give 
almost universal satisfaction to exporters, to the home trade, and to all 
lovers of good cheese. 



rOHAGE PLANTS. 

As the wild grass of the great prairies disappears before the rapidly 
advancing tide of immigration, and stock raising and dairying assume 
greater proportions from year to year, much attention is being given to 
the production of green crops to lengthen the season of pasturage and 
increase the yield per acre of forage for the winter months. W. T. 
Scott, of Des Moines, a very intelligent and careful experimenter, has 
been for some time testing the value of various forage crops. He 
writes as follows of his trial of several plants : 

* The object of the experiments was to determine in a practical way 
the relative value of twenty-nine varieties of fodder plants, both for 
green soiling and dry fodder. 

In the search for more light on this subject, from every available 



38 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

source, I have found it stated that in the Eastern and Middle states, five 
acres of land are required for the support of an animal, three acres 
summer pasture, and two acres made or mown into hay, for winter use. 
This refers to an average, and entirely to the different kinds of pasture 
— both tame and natural grasses. In the Southern states no reliable 
statistics can be obtained, except in the favored blue grass regions of 
Kentucky. 

It is asserted that on the best regulated stock farms in that State, 
three acres of blue grass are allowed for the use of one animal, afford- 
ing sufficient pasture in ordinary years, summer and winter. In our 
State the question of pasturage has received but very little attention, 
for the reason that the rich bottoms, and unoccupied quarter sections — 
to be found in almost every neighborhood — have generally afforded the 
necessary amount of food, and if not, the adjacent corn fields have sup- 
plied the deficiency. 

At present, the herd laws and the rapid disappearance of the prairie 
commons, begin to remind us of our grassless condition. 

The estimate of relative value is based on the amount of cheap, milk- 
producing food, and apparent improved condition of cows and horses, 
during the time of trial, the item of cost of production and feeding 
considered, and as single varieties, giving the most food per acre with 
the least expense. 

Teosinthe — In appearance and habits of growth, this plant somewhat 
resembles Indian corn, but the leaves are much longer and broader, and 
the stalks are filled with sweeter sap. We place this plant at the head 
of the list. 

1st. Because it will yield more green or dry fodder, per acre, than any 
other plant known. 

2d. For its branching proclivities. 

3d. Its continued growth after being cut. 

4th. Its power to resist drouth. 

5th. Economy in handling. 

Planted May 10th ; distance apart 3x8 feet ; four seed in each hill ; 
number of hills 4,800 ; amount of land one acre ; average weight per 
hill, green, 27^ lbs. ; dry, 17 lbs. ; or 65 tons green, or 45 4-5 tons dry 
fodder per acre, cut and weighed September 15th. 

Doura — As a forage plant for green soiling, we would place this 
next on the list. Producing nearly as much fodder as Teosinthe ; 
planted in the same manner, and having all the valuable characteristics 
of the last named except that it is not so valuable for dry food. There 
are two other varieties of this plant, one known as Egyptian corn, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 39 

valuable for the grain product. White-seeded. Another, brown-seeded, 
of no value for either grain or fodder. 

Waste in feeding the two first named varieties about equal to 
prairie hay. 

Mammoth Sweet Corn — This variety is the most valuable, having a 
branching tendency and abundance of leaves. Planted at the same 
time and in the same manner as Teosinthe and Doura, gave a fraction 
over 29 tons of green and 16 4-5 tons of dry fodder per acre. This 
crop was evidently only one-half thick enough on the ground to produce 
the best results. The dry weather also injured the crop. Waste in 
feeding about fifty per cent, greater than Teosinthe or Doura. ^ Crosby's 
Early sweet corn is also valuable for an earlier crop, giving about 
seven-twelfths the amount of green food, compared with the Mammoth 
variety. 

Henderson's Summer Cabbage. — Valuable as an early fodder plant. 
Planted two and one-half feet apart each way, gave an average of 
ten pounds each, or 34^ tons per acre ; available at least one month 
before any other annual forage plant except fall or spring rye — valuable 
for all farm stock. Waste in feeding, about equal to Teosinthe and 
Doura. 

Wuiter Eye.— This is placed on the list as No. 5, for the reason 
that it will give more food of good quality, in a season of the year 
when green food is of the most value, than anv other plant known, more 
valuable as a pasturage plant than for green-soiling. The fact that 
this plant will aiford a vast amount of pasture late in the fall and very 
early in the spring, and the land still be available for a crop of corn, 
millet or potatoes, is an item of great importance to farmers. 

Next in importance is the Millet family. This family has a tendency 
to develop almost as many new varieties as Indian corn. Some of these 
varieties are decidedly valuable. 

Prof. Knapp, of the Iowa Agricultural College, strongly recommends 
sweet corn. He writes of it as follows : 

Experience has shown that sweet corn fodder comes nearer filling all 
the requirements of best and most economized food to meet the contin- 
gencies between full grazing in the summer and full fodder in the win- 
ter than any other product of the farm. It ranks as first of the fodder 
crops in the following particulars : 1st. Certainty of crop. 2d. Econ- 
omy in production, od. Value of product. 4th. Relish with which it 
is consumed by stock at all times. The old method of sowing corn 
broadcast for fodder has been almost entirely abandoned and the drill 
substituted. Prepare the soil as for any corn crop ; most of Iowa far- 
mers have a drill ; set the largest holes in the two-horse planter and in- 



40 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

struct tlie dropper to throw the lever rapidly. This gives a hill of six 
kernels once in ten inches and rows regular distance apart. It will re- 
quire about one bushel of seed per acre. Planting should be done from 
the first to the tenth of May. Harrow and cultivate as in field corn. 
At maturity it completely covers the ground and looks like an impene- 
trable thicket, but nearly every stalk will have an ear from six to eight 
inches long. There will be from twenty to thirty tons on an acre. 
Coarser varieties of corn will produce more, but that is about an aver- 
age Stowell's Evergreen, the variety usually planted. For soiling milch 
cows, cutting can commence the middle ot July; for storing, a month 
later is better. In shocking the corn four rows in width and one rod 
in length make a shock. This may be bound in four bundles to form 
the shock, or a jack may be set in the center of the space and the corn 
leaned against it, making one band do for the entire shock. In about 
two weeks the corn will be cured, when such proportion as will be used 
after the middle of October may be put in the stack for better preserva- 
tion of the fodder, and greater convenience in the use. It costs three 
dollars an acre to cut and shock corn. If the cost of seed and produc- 
tion be estimated at three dollars and a half per acre the total cost in 
shock would be six dollars and fifty cents per acre. In this is a, com- 
bination of coarse fodder and grain, secured at a time that prolongs the 
harvest, and to that extent insures against drouth or wet weather. 

What is an acre of corn fodder worth to feed? It is difficult to make 
comparison with hay on account of the loss in the lower part of the 
stalk. This is usually estimated at thirty per cent, and the remainder is 
considered equal to hay. 

In practical feeding, as near as we could estimate by substituting corn 
and hay for sweet corn fodder, an acre of the latter is equal to four tons 
of hay and eighty bushels of corn. 

Hon. C. F. Clarkson, agricultural editor of the State Register, has 
for years strongly recommended sweet corn for green and dry feed. 

Asa C. Bowen, of Sand Springs, Iowa, has a dairy of thirty-five cows, 
aud keeps over one hundred head of hogs. He kept up the How of milk 
through the heated period and late into the fall, aud his cows were strong 
and healthy to enter the winter. The hogs fattened finely on it, and his 
herd of brood sows were pushed forward with such rapidity after wean- 
ing that ti.eir average was fully up to their herd of barrows that had 
been fed all the season on good old corn. This result was obtained from 
twelve acres, which lasted until the new crop of Dent corn was matured, 
and the finishing feed was cheaply and quickly done with the results 
named. There were no signs of disease either among cattle or hogs. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 41 

He says that a litter of young pigs dropped Aug. 13th,were fed sweet 
corn when a week old; the kernels were shelled and placed on a board to 
which they had access. They soon learned to eat it, and increased one 
pound a day from the start. The sow was fed with the same and in six 
weeks was sent to market in fine order. 

Young calves are also very fond of it and make rapid growth. And it 
is especially valuable for old horses, whose teeth are defective. As a 
winter fodder it is not only excellent for horses, but hogs will eat both 
stalks and corn when cold, and store hogs can be carried through the 
winter on it. 

Another writer recommends the following : 

Egyptian, East India or Pearl Millet — This new millet is quite dis- 
tinct from all other species, and is destined to take a place in the front 
rank of valuable forage plants. It grows from eight to ten feet high, 
tillers enormously, a single seed producing sometimes twenty or more 
stalks, which are short-jointed, and very leafy. It may be cut repeat- 
edly, and it will throw up fresh stalks each time. The fodder is in the 
best condition for cutting and curing when the stalks are five to six feet 
high. Cows, horses and other farm stock are exceedingly fond of this 
kind of millet, and it is more nutritious than Indian corn. The leaves 
retain their green color much better than any other fodder plant. Sow 
when all danger of frost's past. Sow thinly in drills thirty inches to" 
three feet apart, and thin out to twelve inches or more in the hill. 

German, or Golden Millet — An improved variety, medium early, will 
grow in any climate or' soil; the yield in hay or seed is larger than any 
other grass. Grows from three to five feet high; the heads are closely 
condensed, spikes very numerous; seeds golden yellow. It is extensively 
grown, and gives general satisfaction. For seed, sow in drills, from May 
1st to June 15th; for hay, broadcast, until last of July. Half a bushel 
will sow an acre. 

White Egyptian, or China Corn {Sorghtmi Vulgare.) — This has very 
large heads, some of them contain a pound of pure seed each. A valuable 
article of food, either cooked when the kernels are not fully ripe, like 
green corn, or after fully ripe cooked like rice, or ground into fine meal 
and used for making buns, cakes, mufl&ns, etc. It makes a very valuable 
forage plant, being nearly equal to Pearl millet in this respect. The cul- 
ture is very simple; when grown for the grain it should be planted like 
corn. For fodder, sow in drills from two to three feet apart, dropping 
the seeds three or four inches apart in the drills. It may be cut several 
times during the growing season. 

Hungarian Grass — Sown after corn planting, furnishes a large amount 
of excellent hay for cattle; for horses it should be cut before the seed ripens. 



POULTRY. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Of the many improved breeds of fowls that have been introduced in 
the past fifteen or twenty years we shall not have space to treat very 
fully. 

THE COCHIN CHINA. 

This breed is noted for its size, the average weight of the fowls being 
from seven to eight lbs. The average of their eggs is about two 
ounces each. They are good layers and the chickens mature rapidly to 
good size. 

THE DORKINGS 

Are large-bodied and finely proportioned ; their bodies are long, plump 
and well fleshed ; the legs short, breast broad, with small offal. They 
are light color, often white. The weight of the Dorkings varies from 
five to eight lbs. Some have been known to weigh as high as twelve 
lbs. They are not great layers, but are excellent mothers. 

THE MALAYS. 

These are not highly prized for the flesh, which has a coarse, stringy, 
oily flavor. The hens are excellent layers and their eggs are remarka- 
ble for their delicacy, being of buff color and highly prized by epicures. 

THE POLANDS 

Are of several varieties, the Black, Golden and Silver. They all have 
their admirers, some of them being very handsome and showy. They 
are excellent for the table, the flesh being white, tender and juicy. 
The chicks are not hardy, many perishing when young. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 43 

THE PLYMOUTH ROCKS 

Are a mongrel breed, being a cross of Cochin and Dorking. They are 
large, and the hens are great layers. The pullets begin to lay at five 
months old. 

THE BRAHMAS. 

There are two varieties of this breed, the light, and the dark Brahmas. 
They are large fowls, good layers and good setters. The light Brahmas 
are white with black tails ; legs yellow, and covered with feathers. 

The dark Brahmas are similar in form, with white backs and black 
breasts. The tail feathers should be pure black. The Brahma pullets 
will lay at six months old and continue right along until spring. The 
cocks often weigh twelve pounds and the hens eight or nine pounds. 
While not as fine flesh as some other breeds, upon the whole the Brah- 
mas are generally regarded as about the most profitable breed for all 
purposes. 

THE BLACK SPANISH. 

This is a breed of beautiful fowls of medium size. The hens are the 
best of layers but the chickens are not hardy ; when full grown they 
are good fowls, but liable to sufi'er in wet weather. 

THE HAMBURGS. 

These are small fowls, with brilliant red combs, blue legs and beauti- 
fully pencilled plumage. The hens are good layers, each one generally 
laying from two hundred to two hundred and fifty eggs a year. There 
are several varieties of the Hamburgs, but the black are generally 
preferred. 

THE HOUDANS 

May be regarded as a cross of Dorking and Poland. They are large, 
with compact bodies, short legs and small bones. The plumage is 
usually white with black spangles. The hens sometimes weigh ten 
pounds. 



44 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

THE BANTAMS 

Are dwarfed fowls, very small, and not valued except for beauty and as 
curiosities. 

TURKEYS. 

Undoubtedly tbe best breed of turkeys is tbe Bronzed. They are very 
large, fine looking, resembling the wild turkey. They are a beautiful 
bronze color, and have been known to weigh as high as thirty-six pounds. 

DUCKS. 

There are a great many breeds of ducks, and those wishing to engage 
extensively in duck raising should read up on the subject from the 
writings of the best breeders. The Pekin and Muscovy are quite popu- 
lar and are largely raised by breeders of ducks. 

GEESE. 

The Toulon Geese are highly recommended. They are of French 
origin, attain large size, are good layers and their flesh is tender and 
well flavored. 

THE BREMEN. 

These are beautiful geese imported from Holland. Their flesh is de- 
licious and difi'ers from that of any other breed of geese. Many pronounce 
it equal to that of Canvass-back ducks. 

THE CHINESE. 

This is a beautiful pure white goose, swan-like in form, has a long 
slender neck, which is generally arched in swimming. They are prolific 
layers but the eggs are quite small. 

THE BRANT 

Is a small wild .goose which goes north to the arctic regions to breed. 
Its flesh is delicious and highly prized. 



THE'^HOME STEAD MANUAL. 45 

HOW TO DRESS POULTRY FOR MARKET. 

Never feed them the day before they are to be killed. This leaves an 
empty crop when dead. This is of the utmost importance. 

In dressing them, the heads must be cut oif, and when they have done 
bleeding, tie up the end of the neck with a piece of string to keep the 
blood from dropping about the body. 

Cut off the wings at the second joint. Leave the feet and legs on. 

Be sure and pluck them dry. Do not under any circumstances scald 
them before plucking, as it reduces the price at least three cents per 
pound. 

Draw the inwards carefully, without making too large a hole in the 
bird. Leave the gizzard and crop in. 

G-reat care must be taken not to tear the skin, and the bird should be 
as free from feathers, and as clean as if ready for the table. In packing 
for the market, they should be allowed to get perfectly cold after killing 
and then pack as close as possible in a clean box, using no straw. Paper 
the box or barrel unless clean. Mark the gross weight and tare on each 
package. 

Poultry designed for Thanksgiving or the Holidays, should be large, 
fat and well dressed, and should be in market at least two days before 
day. 

G-eese are used most on Christmas. 

Small or inferior poultry, if sent at all, should be sent at other times, 
as the demand then is almost exclusively for large nice poultry. 

By following these directions, poultry can be safely shipped almost 
any distance, in quite warm fall or winter weather, and will bring a good 
price even when inferior poultry is plenty and low. 

Grrouse and quail should be carefully wrapped in paper and packed in 
small boxes or barrels, with the heads down. Never in any case should 
the entrails be removed. Mark the number of grouse or dozen of quail 
on each package. 

ABOUT EGGS. 

Shippers will avoid loss, by adhering strictly to the following direc- 
tions : 



46 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

First, candle your eggs carefully from tlie 15tli of May till tlie last of 
September. Soft material should be placed under the bottom and over 
the top layer to prevent breakage. Place eggs in their cells lightly, 
(not drop them), use tliick paste board between the layers. 

Eggs should never be washed, as it causes them to rot in a few days, 
nor allowed to remain in the sun, as it heats them, they should be hauled 
on spring wagons. 

• Eggs kept in cellars or damp places rot in a very short time ; to keep 
them well they should be placed in cool and dry rooms. Never pack 
eggs in pine saw-dust, shavings or damp straw, it injures them mater- 
ially. 

SHIPPING LIVE POULTRY. 

Live poultry should be sent in good coops with feed and water troughs. 
Just before shipping, give plenty gravel or charcoal, then feed well. 
The old fowls should have soaked oats, and the spring chickens broken 
corn, well cooked ; give plenty clean fresh water to drink. Never allow 
the poultry to remain in the sun or rain at the station ; haul them in 
covered spring wagons. Ship only in ventilated cars. Railroad and Ex- 
press companies, have no right to transport them in any others, unless 
they are willing to pay the losses caused by the overheating in close 
cars. 



FORESTRY AXD TREE PEAjS^Ti:N^a, 



CHAPTER YII. 



PRAIRIE WOODS. 



It was the belief of the early settlers in the Mississippi A^alley that 
trees would never flourish on the prairies; that it was useless to plant 
forest or fruit trees where nature had not provided them. But that 
popular delusion has long since been dispelled and years of successful 
tree culture have demonstrated the fact that the great prairies can be 
easily converted into woodland, orchard and grove. On no soil known to 
the tree planter does timber planting give more speedy returns in rapid 
and vigorous growth than on the prairies. 

White's Geology says on this subject: 

It has before been stated that forest trees can be cultivated as success- 
fully as a crop of corn upon all varieties of our soil, and this question 
being settled in the minds of those interested in the subject, it becomes 
necessary to consider the time within which the result may be practically 
accomplished: because to meet the wants of the rapidly increasing popu- 
lation, it is necessary that some almost immediate supply be provided in 
the case of the broad prairie districts. Some such districts are upon, or 
adjacent to the coal-fields. Some are adjacent to considerable bodies of 
woodland, and others have important deposits of peat; from all of which 
sources immediate supplies of fuel may be obtained. But besides these, 
there are other broad and fertile tracts that have none of the advantages 
just named, and those who occupy them must rely for their supplies of 
fuel upon distant sources or upon its production from the soil. Rail- 
roads are being rapidly constructed which will carry coal from our coal- 
^elds to a large part of these prairie regions, but a large portion of the 
iii*abitants of Iowa must depend alone for their ordinary fuel upon the 
|S-«xov>f,h of trees. 
\ By^rst planting those trees which have the most rapid growth, to be 



48 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

followod immediately by those of slower growth and greater density of 
wood, oie not acquainted with the subject would be surprised to see how 
quickly a sufficient supply of fuel may be obtained, and how a future 
s apply of the best kinds of wood can be established. The principal 
kinds of trees indigenous to the State, which are, or nuiy be used as fuel, 
are the following tiven in the order of their estimated relative abundance 
by natural growth in the State at large: Oaks — several species — cotton- 
wood, elm, white maple, sugar maple, linden, hickory, black walnut. 

The oaks form the greater part of the firewood now used in Iowa. In 
some parts cottonwood is scarcely used at all for fuel, but in others, 
better wood being scarce, it constitutes the greater part of the fuel used 
by the inhabitants. Other trees, such as hackberry, ash, honey-locust, 
slippery-elm, butternut, etc., are occasionally used as fuel, but they are 
comparatively so few in number that they hardly deserve mentioning as 
varieties of fuel. In the new natural growth of these trees the relative 
abundance of the trees is somewhat changed, the black oak, hickory 
and black walnut increasing. The following named trees are those that 
will probably be most used for cultivation. They are given in the order 
of their estimated rapidity of growth: Cottonwood, white maple, black 
walnut, oaks, sugar maple and hickory. 

The relative value of each of these kinds of wood for fuel is estimated 
to be in the same order, cottonwood being the poorest and hickory the 
best; or, in other words, the slower the growth of the tree, 
the more valuable the wood for fuel. But taking into account the 
necessity that exists for immediate supplies of fuel in many parts of the 
State, the cottonwood becomes one of the valuable trees because of its 
rapid growth. As soon as it has performed this valuable pioneer ser- 
vice, it should be laid aside to give place to more solid and useful varie- 
ties. 

The most congenial habitat of the cottonwood is upon the sandy allu- 
vial soils of the river valleys; but it grows 'with astonishing rapidity on 
all varieties of soil in the State, and flourishes as well upon the prairies 
as in the valleys. Instances are numerous of the growth of this tree 
from the seed, or from a riding stick stuck in the prairie soil, to the size 
of from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter, a foot above the earth, 
within the space of ten or twelve years. So rapid is the growth that 
those well acquainted with it estimate that ten acres planted with seeds 
or young shoots, will, at the end of five years supply a family continually 
with all necessary fuel. Indeed, a large number of persons have practi- 
callly proved the correctness of these estimates. 

Cotton wood_may be propagated either from the '/seed, cuttings, or by 
transplanting'jthe young trees. The seed, which^is very light, is som<- 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 49 

times scraped up from the sandy surfaces along the streams where it has 
fallen from the trees, the seed and sand mixed together and sown broad- 
cast upon the ground prepared for it as small grain is sown. Sometimes 
the slender poles are cut from the dense growth that often springs up 
along the streams, trimmed of their branches, and then notched with an 
axe at intervals of a few feet along their entire length, then placed end 
to end in furrows at proper distance apart and covered with soil by the 
plow. Sprouts quickly start from the sides of the notches and rapidly 
become thrifty trees. 

The most congenial habitat of the white maple is also upon the low- 
lands, but it thrives well upon the prairies. For rapidity of growth it 
ranks next to the cottonwood and makes better and more durable fuel. 
It succeeds well upon all varieties of soil and may be readily propagated 
from the seed, or by transplanting the young trees from their places of 
natural growth. 

The black walnut has been proven to succeed well upon the prairies 
by artificial propagation. It is propagated from the seed with certainty 
and little labor. 

These three kinds of trees are those now most commonly used for the 
production of artificial groves and woodlands by the people of the State, 
since the failure of the black locust, in consequence of its destruction 
by the borers. It is well known that all other indigenous trees may be 
artificially cultivated, but these seem to have been wisely chosen for the 
rapidity of their growth and the small amount of labor required in their 
propagation and cultivation. These tests which the pjeople have made 
extensively throughout the State, prove beyond the possibility of a doubt 
that a sufficient amount of fuel and fencing material may be produced 
from the soil alone in any part of Iowa. 

People have hitherto been in the habit of regarding the great propor- 
tion of prairie in our State as a calamity; but with a knowledge of the 
facts. just stated it is evident that views directly opposite should be 
tiken, because the labor and expense of procuring all necessary fuel by 
the means just explained, is but a tithe of what would be necessary to 
prepare the land for cultivation if it had been originally covered with 
forests, such as formerly prevailed in a large part of Ohio and Indiana. 
In a prairie region like ours the farmer selects the finest lands for culti- 
vation^ every acre of which is ready for the plow, and sets aside the less 
tillable and more broken portions for his future woodlands. Thus he may 
not only choose the location of his fields aud woodlands, but also the 
kinds of crops, whether grain or trees, that shall be grown upon each. 



50 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

A CATALOGUE OF THE INDIGENOUS FOREST TREES OF IOWA. 

Acer day scar pum— White Maple. 
Acer sacchirmum.—Snga,r Maple. 
Aesctdus glabra.— Bnc]s.eye. 
Betula mg-ra.— Water Birch. 
Carya aZ&a.— Hickory. 
Carya amara.— Pig-nut Hickory, 
Carya olivaeformis.—Vecan. 
Celtis occide talis.— R&iikhervy. 
Gerasus scrotina.— Black wild cherry. 
Fraxinus Americana.— White Ash, 
Gleditschia trican,fJms.—B.onej Locust. 
Chfmnocladus Cajiadensis.—Kentwc'kY CoflEee bean, 
Juglans ci?iera.— Butternut, White walnut. 
Juglans nigra.— Black walnut. 
Negundo aceroedes.—Bo-s.-eld.ev 
Plantanus occidentalis.— Button., Sycamore. 
Populus monilifera. — Cottonwood. 
Populus tremuloides. — Aspen. 
Quercus alba.— White oak. 
Quercus imbricaria.— Laurel oak. 
Quercus macrocarpa.—Burv oak. 
Quercus tinctoria. — Black oak. 
Tilia Americana. — Linden, Basswood. 
Ulmus Americana. — Common elm. 
Ulmus /w^va.— Slippery elm. 

Some of the trees enumerated in this catalogue can liardly be said 
with strict proprietry to be a part of our forest trees on account of their 
scarcity. A few others might also be mentioned that occur in small 
numbers within the State, besides several species of the smaller class of 
trees; but the object of this catalogue is only to give a general view of 
the arboreous flora of the State to those who are not acquainted with it. 

FORESTRY ON THE PRAIRIES. 

The time has passed long since in the prairie country for doubting the 
feasibility or profit of tree planting for timber and shelter. Hon. C. E. 
Whiting, of Monona county, Iowa, who is one of the most successful of 
pioneer tree growers, well says : 

Timber-growing is no longer an experiment, but with care, a certain 
and complete success. 

If planted in belts around the farm, the protection is worth more 
than the rent of the land on which the timber stands. All the timber 
which I have planted, or will plant under the present law, will stand, 
when ten years old, without having cost me a cent. 

It renders a farm so much more comfortable, beautiful and attractive 
as a home, and so much more valuable if we wish to sell. 

One can ^hardly look on|these^ beautiful groves, witb^their cool shade 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 51 

in summer, and protection in winter, without a feeling of self-conscious 
satisfaction that he has done one good thing for himself, for his State, 
and for his posterity. 

Several of the western prairie states have wisely offered special in- 
ducements to tree planting, by exempting for a term of years a certain 
amount of property from taxation. In Iowa the exemption is as fol- 
lows : 

TAX EXEMPTIONS 

TO ENCOURAGE FORESTRY AND ORCHARD PLANTING IN IOWA. 

Section 798, Title 6, Chapter 1, of the Code, as amended by the 1 7th 
General Assembly: 

For every acre of forest trees planted and cultivated for timber with- 
in the State, the trees thereon not being more than twelve feet apart 
and kept in a healthy condition, the sum of one hundred dollars shall 
be exempted from taxation upon the owner's assessment, for ten years 
after each acre is so planted : Provided, that such exemption be applied 
only to the reality owned by the party claiming the exemption, not to ex- 
ceed each one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which the trees are 
grown and in a growing condition. 

For every acre of fruit trees planted and suitably cultivated within 
the State, the trees thereon not being more than thirty-three feet apart 
and kept in a healthy condition, the sum of fifty dollars shall be ex- 
empted from taxation upon the owner's assessment, for five years after 
each acre is planted. Such exemption shall be made by the assessor at 
the time of the annual assessment, upon satisfactory proof that the party 
claiming the same, has complied with this section ; and the assessor 
shall return to the board of equalization, the name of each person 
claiming exemption, the quantity of lands planted to timber or forest 
trees, and the amount deducted from the valuation of his property. 

THE IOWA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 

has done very much to encourage forest tree planting. A Forestry 
Annual is published by this society each year giving valuable informa- 
tion on the subject. 

FAST growing TREES. 

The settler on a prairie farm should first plant some quick growing 



52 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

trees to furnisli shelter for his orchards, buildings and stock, while the 
more valuable varieties of slower growth, are coming on. The Cotton- 
wood, White Willow, Balm of Gilead, Box Elder, Poplar and Soft Maple 
all grow rapidly, all growing readily from cuttings except the maple. 

Prof. J. L. Budd, says : 
^In making Jplantations, if cuttings two 'or three feet in length, and 
from one to two inches in diameter be used, they will grow with more 
uniformity and give less trouble in cultivation, than small cuttings, or 
even small plants. These large cuttings should be sawed off into lengths 
wanted, and the lower end sharpened with a keen axe, with a sloping cut 
all on one side. Set these cuttings by making holes with a light iron 
bar, in which the cuttings are driven carefully with a wooden mallet. 
All of the Poplar and Willow family of trees, grow best from cuttings 
put out in the fall, if they are set firmly and deeply. Either in fall or 
early spring, set them where wanted as soon as a wagon load of cuttings 
is prepared. They are much injured by laying around, even for a day 
or two. 

If more convenient, the Cottonwood may be grown by the million 
from the seed, with« very little trouble. Gather the catkins in June, 
rub them apart with the hand when ready to sow, and mix them up with 
sand to facilitate even sowing. Put in drills on mellow, moist soil, and 
cover not more than one inch deep : all of the Willows and Poplars may 
be started in great quantity in this way, where the catkins are abund- 
ant. 

Suel Foster, one of the oldest of Iowa's pioneer tree planters; writes 
as follows : 

WHAT TREES TO GROW. 

No farm is complete without a wood-lot, and it is easier to raise one 
than to clear oft' one covered with the usual natural growth. When one 
plants his own timber, he can have such as he wants. White Ash is 
best for farm tools ; Black Cherry for cabinet work. It will grow as 
fast as Black Walnut — the Walnut roots are poisonous to the crops and 
orchard trees for some distance. Then, for post timber, the hardy Ca- 
talpa has lately been more extensively recommended than any other tree. 
It is by undoubted evidence, that it has been known to last in the ground, 
as a post, for more than fifty years. In proof of this, Mr. E. E. Bar- 
ney, President of the Car Manufacturing Company at Dayton, 0., sent 
me a piece of Catalpa wood which was taken from a post which had 
stood in the ground seventy-five years. This tree is a rapid grower, eas- 
ily raised from seed, and easily transplanted 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 53 

The Osage Orange, our well known hedge plant, may be grown as a 
forest tree or wind-break in the south half of the State. It is a remark- 
ably firm, heavy, strong wood, and valuable for many farm uses ; for 
mallets, mauls, beetles, sled-stakes, pins, rake-teeth, and many such vtses 
that are constantly arising on the farm. 

I would not intermix different species in the grove, for some grow 
faster than others, and the slower growth is liable to be nearly lost by 
overgrowth of the larger. But for wind-break of a few rows, there may 
be no objection to planting different species ; planting the largest grow- 
ers on the outside row, and so taper down with smaller growers towards 
the field. 

Set some evergreens about the premises. They make the best wind- 
break. Set them on the north of the orchard and the buildings. Plant 
deciduous and fruit trees as early in the spring as the ground can be plowed 
and evergreens a little later. Some people do not have any luck in plant- 
ing evergreens. It is because they do not know how. Handle them 
caref ally. If the ground is dry, use plenty of water. Keep the roots 
from drying. Plenty of wet straw or rags of gunny sacks about the 
roots will keep them moist. Make a mud-hole, and dip the roots in be- 
fore setting. Dig the hole large enough to lay the roots out in their 
natural position, fill in the earth and poke it carefully underneath all the 
roots ; when the roots are all covered and the hole half filled with soil, 
dash in water enough to thoroughly wet and settle the dirt about the 
roots ; if it is dry, fill in more dry dirt and tramp it hard that it may be 
firmly pressed on every part of the roots, for the roots must have the 
privilege of absorbing water, and every part of the bark of the roots will 
absorb where the moist earth comes in contact with it. 

After the trees are set, mulch or cover the surface with any sort of 
litter, leaving earth on them to prevent blowing away. If drouth comes 
in summer, water, but do not slop a little water on the top of the ground, 
it is the roots of the tree that need the water ; dig the earth away until 
you get near the roots, then pour in water enongh to wet the ground 
thoroughly a foot distant around and beneath the roots, then fill in the 
earth and cover with mulch, and it will last a long time, and usually save 
the life of the tree and contribute greatly to its growth. 

A few notes on the relative growth of well known species on my 
grounds, may be useful. They are the results of actual measurement 
with line and pole, on March 6th, 1879. 

Hardy Catalpa, twenty -two years from seed, height thirty-five to forty- 
one feet, diameter 15 to 16|- inches. 

Black Cherry, transplanted from woods, twenty years growth, height 
40 feet, diameter 11 inches. 



54 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Sugar Maple, transplanted from woods, twenty years growth, height 
20 feet, diameter 14^ inches. 

Soft Maple, transplanted, twenty years growth, height 35 feet, diam- 
eter 16 inches. 

Chestnut, from seed, twenty-four years growth, height 30 to 39 feet, 
diameter 10 to 16^ inches. 

Hardy Catalpa, from seed, four years growth, height 10 to 12 feet, di- 
ameter 3 to 5 inches. 

White Pine, two years seedlings, growth twenty-four years, height 50 
feet, diameter 19 inches. 

Norway Spruce, four year seedlings, growth 20 years, height 34 feet, 
diameter 13 inches. 

European Larch, one year seedling, growth ten years, height 20 to 30 
feet, diameter 4 to 7^ inches. 

Scotch Pine, two years seedlings, growth twenty years, height 30 feet, 
diameter 16 inches. 

Austrian Pine grows much like the Scotch, but more stocky, not quite 
as tall, is deeper green in color and a more beautiful tree. 

The largest Catalpas have stood on rather poor, hard soil, and have not 
had as good culture as the four year old trees. As to the two varieties, 
hardy and tender, myself and foreman were looking at them to-day, and 
we could not attempt to distinguish one from the other by the appear- 
ance of the bark and the twigs. The hardy one grows thriftiest, and its 
time of blooming here is from 5th to l5th of June ; while the tender 
kind blooms from two to three weeks later, the flowers of the early vari- 
ety all dropping before a flower of the other has opened. The hardy 
variety has a larger and whiter flower, and the seed pods are much longer 
and less numerous. 

The Sugar Maple is a slow growing tree from seed, until it is about 
five years old, when it begins to make top. In the hard grass ground 
by the roadside, it grows, when once started, nearly as fast as the Soft 
Maple. 

The Black Cherry grows nearly as fast as the Walnut, and it is more 
valuable for cabinet work. 

H. C. Raymond, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, writes : 

I herewith give measurement of several of the species which were 
planted by me ten years ago. I give the diameters measured one foot 
above the surface of the ground. The plants were all about one foot high 
when planted. The figures are about what may be expected when trees 
are grown for timber. Isolated trees, or single rows, under favorable 
circumstances, are, and can be, grown to double the sizes here given : 
White Maple, diameter 8 inches, height 30 feet ; Ash, 4^ inches, height 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 55 

29 feet ; Abele or Silver Poplar, 9 inches, height 30 feet ; Black Wal- 
nut, 5 inches, height 20 feet ; Black Cherry, 6 inches, height 28 feet ; 
Catalpa, 6 inches, height 25 feet ; White Pine, 5 inches, height 19 feet; 
Scotch Pine, 6 inches, height 21 feet ; Cottonwood, 9 inches, height 35 
feet ; Ash Leaved Maple, 5|- inches, height 27 feet ; Butternut, 5 inches, 
height 20 feet ; Chestnut, (9 years old, from seed), 4^ inches, height 20 
feet ; Elm, 4|- inches, height 25 feet. 

" Of the Evergreens for timber or wind-break, I would much prefer 
to grow the Scotch pine. It is most rapid in growth, and also the best 
able to stand all the extremes of our climate (excepting the Austrian 
Pine), and makes valuable lumber. The White Pine may be equally val- 
uable where the air is more humid, but our air of the Missouri valley is 
hard on it when young, yet it can be grown if well sheltered from wind 
by other trees. 

So far the Black Cherry (^Prunns Serotina) has not received the atten- 
tion that it merits. It grows rapidly, the lumber for finishing work' is 
highly prized, the fruit is valuable for the birds, and the wood is valu- 
able for fuel and very many farm uses. In these degenerate days when 
everything we buy is adulterated, we should plant more Sugar Maple. 
The more independent each family may become, the better will it be 
prepared for famine, pestilence, peace or war." 

TRAIN SPIi ANTING FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS. 

BY PROF, BUDD. 

We have almost uniformly advised the planting of forest tree seeds 
where they are to stand permanently. But this is not always practic- 
able, or indeed advisable. In transplanting, the plan of inserting the 
plants into a cavity formed by thrusting a narrow spade in the ground 
and pressing the handle forward, has been generally practiced. But care- 
ful growers of forestry belts and hedges, find that it pays bountifully to 
do the work more systematically. In reality, the best and surest method 
takes little, if any, more time and labor than the less perfect and suc- 
cessful mode of setting behind a spade. 

Plow straight furrows four feet apart across the plat, running the plow 
as deep as possible. When ready to put in the plants, keep the team at 
hand, and deepen two or three furrows at a time, so the earth will be 
fresh and moist, by plowing back in each furrow with active boy press- 
ing down on the plow beam. This gives a deep furrow with mellow dirt 
thrown up on both sides. In setting the plants, two hands work to the 
best advantage. Stretch a line over the center of the furrow, straighten 
the crooks in the furrow with a spade, and proceed to set the plants. 



56 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

One hand attends to wetting the roots of the plants, a bunch at a time, 
as taken from the convenient point where they are heeled in, and sets 
them upright at proper distance apart, pulling in the requisite loose dirt, 
with his hands or feet. The other hands follow with a hoe, leveling up 
between the plants, and tramping the earth firmly around each plant. 

Two hands in this way will soon put out several acres. After the plat is 
finished, cultivate with two horse corn cultivator or double shovel, de- 
pending on the height of the plants. About the middle of June, plow 
the spaces between the rows, by throwing the furrows towards the trees. 
A plantation started in this way, will usually make double the growth 
the first year made by those planted carelessly with a spade, and if the 
plants are in good order, not one in two hundred will fail to grow. If 
plants harely live the first season after planting, their growth will be 
feeble for several years, and they are liable to perish the succeeding 
winter. 

USES or THE COTTONWOOD AND POPLARS. 

In the older countries, belts of these trees were set, which are now 
large trees, making fair sized logs for sawing. Many of these belts were 
set so near orchards and home grounds as to encroach, by their shade 
and root robbing, on grounds needed foi' garden, small fruit, or orchards. 
They are counted almost worthless for any purpose except summer fuel. 
We wish to dii'ect special attention to the value of the timber of 
the Cottonwood, the Abele, Balm of Gilead, and large Aspen, 
for fencing^ the building of corn cribs, etc. When the trees become 
abundant, as they soon will, in many neighborhoods on our great north- 
ern prairies, small logs of twelve inches in diameter, taken out in thin- 
ning, can be cut with profit and advantage, into fencing and lumber with 
small portable mills. 

A few years ago, the writer put in his scrap book the following item, 
written by one of the closest observers England has ever produced. Dr. 
Lindley : 

"About twenty-eight years ago, a light fence was put up near where 
we are writing. It was cut of Lombardy Poplar, just felled, and sawed. 
After being erected, it was coated well with boiling coal tar, which sunk 
deeply into the soft wood. This fence was perfectly sound for over 
twelve years, and yet exists, though now showing signs of decay. Ques- 
tion : Would it have stood at all without the tar ?" 

|:,; An intelligent^Englishman of DuPage County, Illinois, assured the 
writer, that in his old neighborhood in England, the inch boards of Lom- 
bardy Poplar, White Poplar (here called Silver Poplar), Willow, and 
other light, soft wooded trees, are saturated with boiling hot coal tar 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 57 

while yet green and sappy, as in this condition it enters the inter-cellular 
spaces of the wood most freely. 

Thus prepared, these boards are found as durable as hard wood lum- 
ber, and far stronger than pine. 

The writer has experimented with green Cottonwood and Basswood 
strips, saturated with hot coal tar, and has found them as durable as 
green White Oak for nursery stakes. 

Hon. C. E. Whiting, of Monona county, reports : " I am now using 
many round Cottonwood posts, cut from my young thrifty growing trees, 
peeled, seasoned, and boiled a few minutes each in coal tar, at an ex- 
pense of about one cent each. These bid fair to outlast oak posts not 
so treated." 

BLACK WALNUT. 

Each season we acquire new bits of experience, as guides in the labor 
of tree planting. 

Careful observations during the past two years in the prairie states, 
convince us, that the Black Walnut makes the most rapid and healthy 
growth on our prairies richest in humus, and yet having a porous sub- 
soil, so that it will not suffer in extreme seasons of wet or drought. 

Another fact in relation to its growth has become apparent, which will 
be important for planters to remember: Where blue grass has been in- 
troduced, it is sure to get in and ruin or sadly injure the trees when 
planted alone in groves, unless culture is kept up more 
years than is prolitable. This special liking of the blue 
grass for the Black Walnut groves, results we suppose, from the very 
late period in the spring when the foliage is fully expanded, giving the 
blue grass such a start that it matures its seed. In Illinois, this has be- 
come such a drawback in the culture of this tree, that it is now being 
planted in alternate rows with some tree coming into leaf early in the 
season. Soft Maple and Box Elder have been used to good advantage 
for the alternate rows, which must be taken out in whole or in part for 
fuel, when it is evident that they are seriously injuring the Walnuts. 
With this treatment, the Walnuts will run up faster and straighter than 
when planted alone, and they will be free from grass. 

Judge Whiting gives this opinion as to value of timber for posts, and 
mode of keeping and planting nuts : 

It is very durable, if put in the ground dry, for posts. Fifteen years 
ago I planted Cedar and Walnut posts at the same time, and also posts 
of White Oak. All are now decayed about equally. Always plant the 
Walnut where you want it. Will transplant well, but loses, in losing its 
tap-root, years of growth, Seven bushels of walnuts, with the shucks 



58 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

on, will plant an acre. During the winter I put in trenches, not too 
thick, and cover with leaves. 

Plant before sprouting if possible. Mark the ground out as for Ash, 
and plant the nuts early and deep, so they will not dry. 

Soft Maple and Box Elder have been used to good advantage for the 
alternate rows, which must be taken out in whole or in part for fuel, 
when it is evident that they are seriously injuring the AYalnuts. With 
this treatment, the Walnuts will run up faster and straighter than when 
planted alone, and they will be free from grass. 

WHITE PINE AND LARCH. 

These well known trees are placed together, as many experiments at 
the west have deiiioiistrated that they are mutual aids to each other in 
growth, and on the prairies we have special uses for the larch poles, 
when it becomes necessary to cut them, to give room for the develop- 
ment and growth of the pines. But few of our prairie settlers realize 
how cheaply they can now start an acre or two of these valuable and 
really quick growing conifers. 

Aside from intrinsic value for timber, such groves prove good invest- 
ments, in the way of breaking up the monotony of prairie scenery, and 
as places for pleasant resort in winter as well as in summer. 

The most profitable mode of planting^ is to set the plants in rows four 
feet apart. Every alternate row is planted exclusively with Larch three 
feet apart in rows. In the row in which the Pines are planted, they 
stand eight feet apart with a Larch planted half way between. When 
the Larch poles are cut, the Pines stand eight feet apart both ways. A 
practical estimate of the cost of two acres, and results at the end of 
ten years, may prove useful. 

PRACTICAL ESTIMATE. 

4200 Larch plants (transplanted, 13 to 15 inches) S 42 GO 

14(j0 White Pine (transplanted, 12 to 18 inches) 28.00 

Preparing gromid and setting ^ 15.00 

('iiitiire for four years 2o.O) 

Total $lir.00 

After the fourth year, these trees will keep down nearly all weed 
growth, and the ground will begin to be carpeted with a mulching of 
leaves. 

As wanted for use, when from eight to twelve years planted, the 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 59 

Larch trees would be worth not less than fifteen cents per tree for wire 
fence posts, poles for fencing and other uses, for fuel, etc. 
The account would now stand : 

Credit to Larch, 4200 trees at 15 cents each $630.00 

Outlay in cash and labor 110.00 

Estimated profit $520.00 

RED ELM. 

Maple, for instance, has become over our State, the popular tree for gen- 
eral planting. Let us suppose the Red Elm had become equally popu- 
lar. It grows as rapidly, is far hardier, it is free from insect ravages, 
it is worth far more for fuel, it is excellent for rails and even posts, its 
lumber is valuable for stable floors, bridge plank, wagon hubs, and many 
other uses, the trees require little if any care in the way of pruning, 
etc., etc. If it could supplant the Maple, the gain would soon be very 
apparent. 

The seeds of the Elm ripen in May, usually before the trees come 
into full leaf. The seeds are light, and being surrounded by a mem- 
braneous wing, they are widely scattered by the wind. Sow at once on 
gathering, and by all means sow where wanted, if possible. They may 
be planted in corn hills to excellent advantage. They usually grow about 
one foot in height the first season. Planting with corn is an advantage, 
as the plants are sometimes injured when very young by direct exposure 
to our dry air and hot sun of July and August. The plants transplant 
readily, but if you want rapid growth, never break the first tap root. 

BUTTERNUT. — {Juqlaiis cinevea.) 

This well known tree of the Northern States, does well on about all 
our varied prairie soils, either in groves or planted singly, in not too ex- 
posed positions, for its nuts. Western experience makes it certain, that 
propagated from seed, with culture when young, that nuts may be much 
improved ; as the shells become thinner, the kernel larger and richer, 
and much easier to free from the divisions of the shell. It is well worth 
planting around our inland prairie homes for its fruit. Fuller says: 
" Farmers, remember that a few Butternut trees may cause your sons 
and daughters to send a thought or blessing back to the old homestead, 
when far far away and surrounded by the cares and anxieties, which we 
all experience in our journey through life." 

When dry, the wood lasts well for posts, and the poles, when large 
enough to split, where they run up straight in close plantings, are dur^ 
able and strong for f^nce rails, 



60 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

DURATION OF AVOODS. 

The duration of thin pieces of boards buried in the earth, was tested 
in Europe by Hartig, with the following results : 

Decay proceeded in the order named, commencing with the most per- 
ishable : Plane (European Sycamore), Horse Chestnut, Linn (Bass- 
wood), Lombardy Poplar, American Birch, Bed Beech, Hornbeam, Alder, 
Ash Maple, Silver Fir, Scotch Fir, Elm, Weymouth, Pine, Larch, Bobinia 
(Black Locust), Oak. The same list of experiments included tests of 
various preservative processes ; and the one found most effective was 
charring in the fire and then dipping in hot coal tar pitch. Simply 
charring the wood was of little utility, as was likewise saturations with 
different salts, which have been recommended. 

PROFITS OF TREE PLANTING. 

In a lecture at the Industrial University of Illinois, the following in- 
stances of forest growth and profits of timber culture were mentioned 
by Mr. 0. B. Galusha : 

A few miles from my residence are a few acres of ground which were 
cleared of timber sixteen or seventeen years since. There was then left 
upon the ground a growth of underbrush only, consisting of several 
varieties of Oak, Hickory, Ash, and some other sorts. I have watched 
the growth of timber from year to year, until the present time, and am 
myself surprised at the result. The land was worth, when cleared, perhaps 
$12 per acra, not more. There have been taken from it, during the last 
seven years, poles equal in value, probably, to $10 per acre, and $150 
per acre would hardly buy the trees now standing up it. So that, if we 
estimate the value of the land (at the the time mentioned) at $12 per 
acre, and compute the interest upon this for sixteen years at six per 
cent compound interest, adding the amount of taxes accruing during the 
time, with interest upon this at the same rates, we have $100 per acre as 
the net profit of the timber crop ; while, of coui*'se, the land itself has 
partaken of the generally enhanced value of surrounding real estate, and 
would now probably sell for $50 per acre, were the timber removed. 

^ * * Let us estimate the expense of raising a growth of ten 
acres, planted with White Ash and Black Walnut, five acres of each. 
These varieties grow at about the same rate, and are about equally val- 
uable for lumber. The seeds of the Ash, like all seeds of this class 
which ripen in the autumn, should be gathered when ripe, and kept in 
the cellar through winter. The Walnuts, as other nuts, should be spread 
evenly upon the ground, where surface water will not stand, not more 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 61 

than two nuts in depth, and covered with two or three inches of meUow 
soil, that they may freeze during the winter ; to be planted as soon in 
the spring as they show signs of sprouting. The land should be deeply 
plowed, late in the fall if practicable, and finely pulverized in early 
spring, and marked both ways, as for corn, three feet eight inches apart. 
The tree-seeds and nuts should be planted eleven feet apart, which will 
admid of two rows of corn or potatoes between each two rows of trees. 
By putting two or three seeds in a place, to be thinned out to one if 
both or all germinate, an even stand can be secured. A better way is to 
plant in rows, eleven feet apart, running north and south, and three feet 
eight inches — (in the marks for corn). This will secure straight trees, 
being closer and they may be thinned out to eleven feet each way, when 
large enough to use for grape-stakes, bean or hop poles. This will give 
300 trees per acre, or 3,000 trees in all, allowing for some vacancies, 
though in all cases of tree planting, whether in groves or screens, a sup- 
ply of good plants, grown elsewhere, should always be in readi- 
ness to use in filling vacancies, which should be done at the end of 
the first year. 

The preparation of the ten acres, at $5 per acre, would be $50. Aver- 
age cost of seed, 50 cents per acre, $5. Planting, $25. The cultiva- 
tion, during the first five years, will be paid for in the crops grown be- 
tween rows. For cultivation from fifth to ninth years, four years, with 
horses only, $30 per year, $120. After this time no cultivation or care 
will be needed. This makes the entire cost, in seed and labor, of the 10 
acres of trees, $300. These trees will, at twenty-five years of age, aver- 
age sixteen inches in diameter at the ground, and about ten inches at 
the height of sixteen feet. This will give, deducting waste in sawing, 
120 feet of lumber per tree. Allowing one-sixth for damage by the 
elements and loss from other causes, we have, in round numbers, 360,000 
feet of lumber, which, at $50 per M, would amount to $18,000. The 
value of the tree-tops for fuel would be equal to the cost of preparing 
the logs for the mill, and the expense in sawing would not exceed $5 
per M. This, added to the cost of producing the trees, and the amount 
deducted from the value of the lumber, leaves $16,000 for the use of 
ten acres of land for twenty-five years, and the interest upon the amount 
expended in planting and cultivating the trees ! This statement may be 
deemed incredible, perhaps, by those who have not previously turned 
their attention to the subject; but after much study and many years 
observation and measurements of growths of different varieties of 
trees, I am convinced that in all well-conducted experiments in growing 
artificial groves upon our large prairies, the profits will not fall far, if 
at all, short of the rates above stated. It must be born in mind that 



62 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

trees standing at regular and proper distances upon rich prairie soil, and 
receiving good cultivation, will grow much faster than the same varieties 
found growing in natural groves. 

PROPAGATING AND TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS. 

Robert Douglass of Waukegan, Illinois, the champion Evergreen 
grower of the West, sums up the method of propagating, as follows : 

" Plant early in the spring ; never allow the roots to become dry, and 
pack the ground tight, so that they cannot shake about or be moved by 
the winds." He would plant as soon as the frost was out of the ground, 
(first puddling the roots as soon as received), and plant a little deeper 
than they had grown in the nursery. The center of the hole should be 
elevated to set the tree on, and the roots should be spread out and filled 
in compactly, and particularly under the tree, so that it will not sink. 

In his own practice he sowed the seeds in the spring, until May, in 
beds four feet wide, broadcast, and raked in. The young plants must 
be shaded, the first year at least, by lath, cloth, or brush, and his former 
practice was to lay frames of lath, with spaces as wide as the strips, 
over the seed-beds. Another, and by some regarded as a better screen, 
is a frame-work of poles raised upon posts about six feet high, and cov- 
ered with brush. He would bed out the plants from three to six inches 
apart in the rows, and the rows twelve to eighteen inches apart, shading 
the first season, and working with the hoe. The earth should be drawn 
up to the plants at the last hoeing of the season, to prevent heaving out 
in winter. In two years from planting they will be nice stocky trees, 
averaging about one foot in height, and may then be planted in nursery 
rows, three or four feet apart, or in shelter-belts and hedges. Three- 
year-old plants, six to nine inches high, may be planted immediately into 
3-foot or 4-foot rows. His advice in the choice of kinds for different 
situations was as follows : 

For hedges and screens, not intended to grow higher than eight feet, 
plant the American Arbor Vitae ; for higher hedges and screens, plant 
Norway Spruce ; for wind-breaks, sheltering orchards, etc., plant Scotch 
Pine or Norway Spruce ; for ornamental planting, use Norway Spruce 
more freely than any other evergreen. 

E. Ferrund of Nebraska, who has had ten years experience as an 
Evergreen forest planter, writes : 

1. Never plant your Evergreen in the fall of the year, but do it in the 
spring as early as you can obtain the trees. 

2. Do not set your trees in the ground deeper by an inch than they 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 63 

stood in the nursery. Use no manure of any kind in planting Ever- 
greens or Larcli, but let tlie soil be mellow and friable, without lumps 
in contact with the roots. 

3. Do not plant trees under two years old even for stocking a nur- 
sery, and for the garden and lawn give the preference to trees one to 
three feet high. 

4. Never dig deep among the roots of your trees, but keep the soil 
mellow and moist at the surface by a light mulching of bruised straw or 
hay, that will prevent the weeds from growing. 

5. Last, but not least, get your trees direct from a nursery, carefully 
avoiding trees that are heeled in by peddlers in the fall, because such 
are always killed at the root, notwithstanding their green appearance ; 
and here allow me a little digression. Give your preference to home 
nurseries. You have men here engaged in the business who have spent 
their lifetime, judging what varieties of trees you could better plant, for 
your profit and success. 

J). C Scofield, an experienced Evergreen planter, of Elgin, Illinois, 
says : 

Large nursery-grown, oft- transplanted trees, may be removed with as 
much certainty of their living as small ones. The hardy evergreens, such 
as the Norway Spruce, Scotch, Weymouth (or white), and Black Austrian 
Pines, may be removed from the height of twelve to eighteen feet as safely 
as from two to four feet. The method of removing is the same as of 
small trees, and they have no more need of a large ball of earth to 
secure their growth than a plant of twelve inches. True, they must be 
taken up with great care to preserve the roots from breaking on being 
moved' or from exposure to a dry atmosphere, and when set, especial 
care must be taken to keep the roots in their natural position, thoroughly 
packing the earth among all the roots with the fingers, so as to exclude 
the air and retain moisture. This should be done by suspending the 
tree in the hole, which should be made sufficiently large not only to re- 
ceive the roots of the tree, but also the planter to readily get to his 
task. The earth must be in fine tilth for planting corn, and must never 
be wet or muddy, and when thus planted the earth around should be 
pressed thoroughly with the feet, and when well planted, a quantity of 
coarse mulching of rotten straw, leaves, or, better, spent tan-bark, should 
be put around the tree and cover the surface from two to four feet 
on all sides, and from three to six inches in depth ; but do not pack too 
closely against the trunk of the tree. Three strong stakes, six feet high 
should be set four or five feet from the tree at equal distances from 
each other. A collar or band should be fixed around the tree five or six 
feet from the ground, to which strong hay bands should be fastened, and 



64 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

then to each stake a piece of fence-wire, which will not shrink or expand. 
In the transit, the roots should be secured with moist fine straw, hav, 
or moss, so that they shall not at all lose their native condition. When 
the tree is thus set a few pailsful of water may be poured upon the 
ground so as to settle it, as if a great rain had done the work. When 
dry, spade up often, and mellow the soil to give the air circulating and 
condensing room in hot weather. Then replace the mulching about the 
tree. The less of earth retained in which the tree formerly stood the 
better, as from it the substance or nutriment necessary to feed the tree 
is entirely exhausted, and the myriads of feeding roots running off in 
every direction have been left in the ground. To retpin the entire ball 
as when removed in the frpst, would be to not only stop the growth of 
the tree, but to starve it to death before the fibrous roots could extend 
far enough to procure necessary food. I have had large Evergreen 
trees stand thus, scarcely living for three or four years, and only from 
freely^f ceding the ball with liquid manure were they kept alive ; for in 
our ignorance we supposed we must remove as much earth as possible 
to make an Evergreen live. We now send our large trees off' by the 
car load that are several days on the transit, and yet all are reported to 
live. 

HEDGE FENCES. 

HONEY LOCUST. 

The Honey Locust is used in some parts of the West as a hedge plant. 
F. W. Hart of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, gives his method of treating it as fol- 
lows : 

The plants, which were two years old, were plowed in the ground sixteen 
inches apart. The second year they were bent down and fastened to the 
ground by means of forked sticks. The third year the same method 
was pursued, only the tops were bent mostly in the opposite direction ; 
and the fourth year a small pole was placed along the fence four feet 
from the ground, and the tops of the hedge entwined around the pole, 
thus making an almost impregnable barrier to the encroachments of 
almost any kind of stock. I give it as the result of my deliberate con- 
viction, based upon a residence of fourteen years in Linn County, that 
in this and northern latitude the Honey Locust is the only hedge thus 
far tried that will stand the test of all contingencies. 

OSAGE ORANGE. 

G. P. Wood of Cedar County, Iowa, gives his method of making a 
hedge of this plant, as follows : 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 65 

While the plants may be readily grown from seed by any one familiar 
with seedling growing, it yet is better, as a general rale, to get them 
from a professional grower in the spring, as near piaiifcing time as prac- 
ticable. The most suitable time for planting is just after corn planting 
ing is finished. In fitting hedge row for planting, throw the furrows out 
on a land six feet in width, leaving the middle clean and deep. When 
ready for planting secure a rope of bed corn size, about one hundred 
feet long, knotted at intervals of one foot with comuiuu wrapping cord, 
by passing through the rope with large needle and ticing ; SDrt the 
plants in two or three sizes, planting each size separate to secure more 
uniform growth ; puddle the plants in very thin muck, and keep shaded 
with sacking or old blanket. With strong stake for driving at each end 
stretch the line tightly, and drop a plant at each knot on the line. In 
settling use a sharp, bright spade ; with the handle opposite the knots on 
' cord, press down spade full length of blade, crowd forward until open- 
ing is made for insertion of plant back of the blade ; get the plants 
down as low as possible ; if several buds on the top are covered all the 
better, a^success in hedging largely depends on deep planting in good, 
well prepared soil, especially if drouth soon follows the planting. If a 
single hand is planting after line is set, let him tramp around the plants 
as he goes back to move his stake, setting his foot with quick motion 
on opposite side of each plant. In this way the planting is done 
speedily, effectively, and in straight line. In moving line ahead, throw 
it clear of the row, so that no plants will be loosened or drawn out in 
dragging line forward. Cultivate thoroughly until midsummer but no 
later ; before corn husking mulch well the young hedge with straw or 
long manure, intermixed with good manure, which will give the plants 
an early growth in the spring. This manuring results favorably so 
far as I have observed. Cultivate each year on the same plan until 
the plants are about one inch in diameter ; then in early spring plash 
very low, cutting the plants about half off in the collar, with two inch 
paring chisel set in a long handle ; using a light mallet. They may 
also be clipped with a light ax. In either case let a second hand draw 
the plant back, and press it down nearly horizontally with a long handled 
hook, readily made by bending the tines of an old hay fork. 

THE WHITE WILLOW. 

Gov. John Scott, of Iowa, who has had long experience with this tree, 
writes as follows concerning it : 
It does not accord with the facts to speak of the white willow as a 

5A 



66 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

hedge plant, for such it is not, in any sense. It may be grown to answer 
the purpose of a hedge in restraining live stock; but calling such a bar- 
rier a hedge has a tendedcy to mislead. The willow is A tree, and 
every attempt to dwarf it by cutting back, slashing, plaiting, or other- 
wise, will result in failure. It will only be healthy and strong when 
permitted to take the form of a tree. Because of this idea that it may 
be grown as a dwarf, and pleated together, or slashed over, it has often 
failed to answer any good purpose. 

To realize the best results from planting corn most persons know that 
strong seed, proper preparation of the ground, carerul planting and 
good culture are essential. It is the same with the willow. 

1. Strong Seed. — Cuttinss made from upright, thrifty shoot.^ are 
stronger than those from the later growth. Cuttings should be made 
before the buds start in the spring, and they should not be exposed to 
the drying influences of the sun and wind ; nor should they be forced 
into premature growth by being packed in sawdust, or covered with man- 
ure, or placed in a warm corner. Let them be kept back until the time 
for planting. 

2. The soil should be warm and mellow, and capable of being well 
packed upon the cuttings when they are set. It should rest very firmly 
upon the base of the cutting. This may be efl'ected by tamping well 
with the foot. If the ground is in such condition that it can be kept in 
the proper condition for growing a crop of corn, and is so kept — clean 
and mellow — the growth will be satisfactory. 

3. The cuttings should be set firmly, about one foot apart, and deep 
enough to reach moist earth. If they are from four to eight inches long 
they should be so set that the topmost bud should be rather below the 
surface of the ground. Perhaps the very best way would be to have the 
line of planting a little below the general surface, and to set the cut- 
tings so that the top would be barely visible. This would leave little of 
the cutting exposed to drying influences, and when the shoots had fairly 
started from the upper bud, a little earth could be carefully drawn to- 
wards the row, and securing it from all possibility of such damage. 

4. In a short time the row of young shoots will be so well devel- 
oped as to suggest going over them with a hoe, and garden rake, and 
clearing out the weeds and drawing a little more earth. When this has 
been done the plow or cultivator should be used through the season as 
for corn. But if the soil is not in condition for this treatment, as por- 
tions of it may not be, the best course would be to very thoroughly 
mulch on both sides of the row of cuttings, wide enough to leave 
good space clear of weeds, and deep enough to insure permanently a 
moist surface. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 67 

The principles above laid down are for the first year. It would be 
well to continue the cultivation and mulching, one or both, through two 
or three subsequent years. The increased growth would be good com- 
pensation for the care and labor. The treatment indicated will insure 
that most essential feature in a stock barrier — a good stand. 

Thomas Wardell of Mitchell Co., Iowa, who has had experience with 
the white willow writes as follows: 

Recent observation leads me to conclude that the white willow is, par 
excellence, possessed of all the qualities necessary to a northern hedging 
plant. It bears the knife or shears with impunity; it stands all kinds 
of hard usage, or insect enemies better than any other tree or plant that 
I know of. If cut down to the ground it comes up again with a growth 
of five or six feet the first year, so thick that, as a windbreak on our 
bleak prairies, it has no equal in quick returns for the amount of care 
and skill bestowed upon it. As a timber tree it is good; as a hedging 
plant it is better; as a windbreak it is best. That tells my short story. 
I have little else to say. But lest some one who reads this may not be 
a brother of the horticultural craft, I will tell him how to make some 
willow hedge — a thing of beauty — and a windbreak; a joy for a herd or 
flock, and a blessing to the farmer's home and a traveller on the public 
highway. 

Prepare your hedge row ground by very deep plowing in autumn, and 
plant fresh cuttings of large size and twenty or more inches in length, 
with a smooth slanting cut, as if cut off with one blow of a sharp hatchet. 
Before they get dried in the sun, put them in the hedge row sixteen inches 
apart, and tramp the soil well at the bottom if no where else. Cover 
up so that the rains of spring will expose the top of the cuttings, and 
give culture as for a row of corn, for three years, and you may rely 
on a hundred per cent, if the stock used was healthy when planted. We 
succeed by the above plan admirably. 

Then, after four or five years' growth, plash in March, (not later) and 
a barrier will be grown in one year, that will defy man or beast to pene- 
trate it. I see such a hedge often. White willow and the knife are 
friends in March ; afterwards enemies. 

For Windbreaks. — Plant in the fall as you do for hedges, only make 
you cuttings three or more feet long, and of larger limbs, and plant them 
at an angle of sixty degrees, and leave a few inches out of ground when 
finished, and give the cuttings a few blows with a beetle, to settle them 
thoroughly into the earth below. These are better for mulching through 
the first winter. But you will loose but very few plants if cultivated 
for two or three years. 



HOUTICULTUBAL. 



THK: APPIiE ORCHARD. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



LOCATION. 



In choosing ground for an apple orchard, the first and most important 
point to consider is drainage. It is ^ a waste of trees to set them in 
what would be cajled wet ground. On swampy ground, at the bottom of 
a ravine, or in any location where water stands on or near the surface of 
the soil, apple trees will not do well. Notice when you visit an old or- 
chard, that the low, wet places are either vacant or reset with young 
tices, or p.ossibly occupied by dead ones. High rolling and well-drained 
land is the best. 

Persons who have no dry land suitable for an orchard, can prepare a 
f'-i ce by laying tile drains two rods apart and at a depth of four feet. 
To do this lay out the ground in lands the length of the piece and thirty- 
tiYO feet wide, and plow a few times, throwing the earth as much as pos- 
fei'.'le into a ridge in the center of each land. Then lay tile four feet 
dc'jp along each dead-furrow and set a row of 'trees on the ridge along 
the (tenter of each land. In plowing, continue to throw the earth to- 
ward the trees for several years and good drainage will be secured. 

Piobably the point next in importance is the choice of soil. Gravelly 
clay or loam is the most favorable, produces the best and earliest crops 
of fruit as well as healthiest growth of tree. The land known as ^^ white 
oak ridges or hnolW seems peculiarly adapted to fruit. The healthiest 
and most profitable orchards we have seen in the west are located on such 
land. The rocky or gravel hills, which are common in some parts of 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 69 

the west, are good orchard lands. Any of the soils named are more prof- 
itable for orchards than the rich black prairie or bottom lands. In this 
climate high ground, sloping to the north, is now considered the best, for 
the reason that trees on such a slope are not exposed to such sudden ex- 
tremes of heat and cold, and alternate freezing and thawing in winter. 
Frost stays in the ground later on a north hillside, and there is less dan- 
ger of the fruit buds starting too early. 

VARIETIES. 

From the endless list of old and new varieties only a few have proved 
profitable and satisfactory in this climate. South of the center of Iowa, 
Illinois and Nebraska, varieties which will endure the wipter cold are 
numerous, but when we look for the kinds producing a large crop of 
fine fruit at an early age, our list will be reduced to less than a dozen 
names. The most profitable varieties are probably Red June, Duchess 
of Oldenburg and Early Pennock for summer ; Cole's Quince, Maiden 
Blush, Fulton and Utter's Red, for fall ; Grimes' Grolden, Jonathan, 
Dominie, Ben Davis, and Willow Twig for winter. To furnish a suc- 
cession of fine fruit for home use, profit not considered^ we should 
prefer for summer. Early Harvest, Red June, Early Joe and Chenango 
Strawberry ; for fall, Benoni, Dyer, Lowell and Fulton ; for winter, 
Grimes Golden, Jonathan, Wealthy, White Winter Pearmain and Willow 
Twig. The preceeding lists are not recommended for localities north of 
the center of Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska, 

The combined efforts of prominent western horticulturists have pro- 
duced aad tested a number of varieties which can be relied upon to 
endure the extremes of temperature to the northern limits of our fruit 
regions. The list of iron clads includes Tetofski, Oldenburg and Red 
Astrachan for summer ; Alexander, Gros Pomier, Wolf River, Plumb's 
Cider and Fameuse, for fall ; Wealthy, Wulbridge and Canada Baldwin 
for winter. 

TOP GRAFTING. 

Many'of our most experienced orchardists now favor and recommend 
the top-grafting of choice varieties which are not perfectly kardv, upon 



70 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

such iron clad trees as Oldenburg, Gros Pomier and Wealthy. The 
experience of many careful observers has been that trees thus formed 
bear younger, are more productive and profitable, and endure the severi- 
ties of our climate better than root-grafted trees of the same varieties. 
In setting an orchard of 100 top-grafted trees the varieties would furnish 
a profitable succession of fruit for home and market if set in the fol- 
lowing proportion : 

For Summer — Early Harvest 1, Red June 2, Early Joe 1, Irish Peach 
1, Oldenburg 2, Early Pennock 3. 

For Fall — Chenango Strawberry 1, Dyer 1, Famcuse 1, Cole's Quince 
1, Porter 1, Fall Orange 2, Fulton 2, Lowell 2, St. Lawrence 3, Maiden 
Blush 3, Utter's Red 3. 

For Winter — Wealthy 2, Winesap 2, White Winter Pearmain 2, Can- 
ada Baldwin 2, Rawles' Janet 2, Virginia Greening 5, Grimes' Golden 5, 
Jonathan 15, Ben Davis 15, Willow Twig 10, Dominie 10. 

When preparing the ground for an orchard, one important point to be 
considered, is the distance apart, or number of trees to the acre. Most 
of the old orchards in the west were planted too close. In many cases 
the trees were set only'l6 or 18 feet apart, and now stand with branches 
crowded and locked together, producing only partial crops of small 
apples ; 25 feet apart is the least distance apple trees should be set ; 
32 feet is better, and some varieties need over 40. 

Prepare the ground you intend for orchard by deep fall jyluwing, and 
if possible sub-soiling. Harrow sufficiently to smooth and level the 
ground. Then set tall, slim poles in line where you want the first row 
of trees, and with a steady team and heavy plow throw out a deep fur- 
row on both sides of the line, making a ditch where the trees are to 
stand. Have the poles at each end of the row exactly straight and 16 
feet long, and with them measure off 32 feet from the first furrow at 
at each end ; get the poles all in line by sighting from the two end ones 
and turn two furrows from this line as before. Continue this until you 
have gone across the field, then plow another lot of furrows across these, 
measuring in the same manner, to lay out rows the other way. 

Now if this has been correctly done, you have the rows laid out both 



THE HOMESTEAD MANITAL. 71 

ways and tree holes half dug by horse power. Then go over the field 
before winter and dig a round hole three feet wide, and one and a half 
feet deep, where the furrows cross. 

When spring and tree planting time comes, you have the holes all 
ready, and about one- third full of loose earth in just the right condition 
for the young trees. In setting the trees at least two men are needed ; 
one to spread out the roots and hold the tree in just the right place un- 
til the other can cover the roots with about three inches of earth, which 
should then be packed hard around the roots with the feet. Now throw 
in the earth until a little above the level of the ground, and pack again. 
When this is done, throw on loose earth enough to make a little mound 
about six inches high around the tree. As soon as setting is finished, 
commence mulching and cover the ground for three feet in every direction 
around each tree with about six inches of old hay, straw or saw-dust. 

In selecting trees for an orchard take two and three-year-olds, they 
are much less damaged by moving than large trees, will start better, and 
you will lose fewer of them. Choose those with short, heavy bodies and 
small side branches. Take none that are barked or damaged near the 
ground or that have bad forks. It will be profitable to pay a few cents 
extra for your clioice. No tree should be set with a heavy top, cut the 
lower limbs from such a tree for a distance of three or four feet. 

H. W. Lathrop, ex-President of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, 
says : 

Early in June the bodies and large limbs of the trees should have a 
good washing in strong soap-suds or weak lye from wood ashes. This 
washing will keep the bark smooth and healthy, and prevent the forma- 
tion of hiding places for insects. If borers have ever found a lodgment 
in any of the trees they should be made the subject of watchful exterm- 
iHation. The knife and wire probe are the best weapons of offense 
against these troublesome pests. A never-failing sign of their presence 
is their saw-dust-like deposits about the roots. An applicetion of boil- 
ing lye from the spout of a tea-kettle to the outside of their places of 
retreat is said to be effectual in destroying them in the early stages of 
their existence. The advent of bark-lice, canker-worms, cicadse, codling 
moths, fall web-worms and all other insect enemies should be met with 
a fixed resolution for their immediate extermination if possible, for while 



72 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

the price of berries may be a few cents per quart, and of grapes two or 
three cents per pound, the price of apples is '' eternal vigilance." 

SMAlili FRUITS. 

No home is complete without a good supply of small fruit, such 
as cherries, plums, raspberries, strawberries, currents, blackberries, 
grapes, etc. Most of them come at a season of the year when apples, 
peaches and pears are not plenty, and are luxuries that may be indulged 
in by every owner of a farm or a town lot. The method of propagation 
and cultivation recommended by the Iowa State Horticultural 
Society is as follows : 

STRAWBERRIES. 

The preparation of the ground for strawberries should be made by 
deep plowing and thorough pulverizing, and it should be sufficiently ricli 
to produce a heavy crop of corn. The plants may be put. out in Septem- 
ber, or early spring, and if for field culture, in rows four feet apart, with 
plants one foot apart in the row ; if for garden and home culture, the 
rows two feet apart. If put out in the fall they should be mulched 
with coarse litter to prevent winter-killing. In large plantations they 
may be tilled with a straddle-row cultivator, the same as corn, and 
they should have a plowing every week or ten days during the first part 
of the season, and the plants may be allowed to spread until they 
occupy the space of one foot in the row. They should be mulched at 
the beginning of the winter with some material that is free from seeds, 
such as corn or sorghum stalks, prairie hay or coarse straw. The mulch, 
after the frost is out of the ground, is to be raked between the rows to 
retain the moisture in the ground, and aflbrd a clean path on which to do 
the picking, and to enrich the ground by its decay. 

When the plantation is to be renewed, which should be done every 
fourth year, plow the ground between the rows, set out the plants 
therein and then plow up and cultivate the old row. 

The varieties that succeed generally in the west are Wilson's Albany, 
Downer, Crescent Seedling and Charles Downing. The Downer is early. 
Crescent Seedling and Charles Downing follow next, late, Wilson s 
Albany. The Duchess and Kentucky are also highly prized by many. 

RASPBERRIES. 

The preparation of the ground should be the same as for strawberries, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 73 

the rows to be from five to seven feet apart, depending on the length 
the canes are permitted to grow. The ground should be richer than for 
strawberries. The plants may be put out in the fall or spring, but if in 
the fall, a small mound of earth should be raised over them before the 
ground freezes. Set them from one to three feet apart in the row and 
cultivate as you do corn. When the young plants have made a growth 
of from one and a half to two feet, pinch or cut off the terminal bud ; 
it will then throw out branches, and when the branches have made a 
growth of one foot or more, cut off their terminal buds. After the crop of 
berries is harvested, the old bearing canes should be removed, and only 
from three to five new canes should be permitted to grow from one stool. 
If you plant the suckering varieties, unless the suckers are wanted for 
transplanting, treat them as you would weeds, and subdue them on all 
suitable occasions with the plow or hoe. 

The varieties generally recommended arCjOf the black, Doolittle, Mam- 
moth Cluster and Gregg. Of the red varieties Turner, and Philadelphia 
succeed best. 

BLACKBERRIES. 

The planting and cultivation of this fruit should be similar to that 
of the raspberry. It will flourish with partial shade better than any 
other fruit, and may be planted on the north side of a grove, or in a 
young grove not too thickly shaded. In the blackberry days of early 
times it succeded best on our sparsely-timbered lands and in our hazel 
thickets. 

The only variety worthy of general cultivation is the Snyder which is 
hardy and productive. 

CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES. 

Should be planted in rows five feet apart, and three to five feet in the 
row, depending upon the number of canes left in the hill. Prepare the 
ground as for raspberries, and plant cuttings or rooted plants. If 
cuttings, they should be made from the last year's growth, soon after 
the leaves have fallen, and if then put in the ground and well protected 
during the winter, will become calloused and frequently-rooted, so that 
they may be put out in the spring following. The currant is a gross 
feeder, and will use to good advantage an abundant supply of manure. 
A heavy mulching should be applied each year and left on the ground 
to decay and fertilize it. From five to eight canes only should be left 



74 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

in a hill, and all superfluous sprouts should be removed. Occasional 
pruning of canes may be made when they branch too much, and as the 
plantation attains age the old canes that become enfeebled should be 
removed and their places supplied by young sprouts. 

GRAPES. 

Should be planted quite deeply — 18 inches or more — and then be well 
protected the first winter by being laid down and covered with earth, and 
if of tender varieties they should be protected every winter. The first 
year but one cane should be grown, the next not more than two, and the 
third a little fruit may be obtained. Plant in rows six to eight feet 
apart and train to trellis or stakes, vines four to eight feet apart in the 
row. A trellis may be made of three wires, the highest not more than 
four to five feet high, or stakes may be used from two to four inches in 
diameter. With the trellis you can cultivate or plow but one way, while 
with the stakes plowing may be done both ways. The pruning should be 
done in the fall, winter or spring, before the buds begin to swell. No 
definite rule can be given for pruning, but in doing it we should bear in 
mind that only the last year's growth produces fruit. A young or 
feeble vine should not have too much bearing-wood left on it lest it 
overbear, while a strong well-established vine may be more heavily 
taxed. Cultivation of the vines with the plow, cultivator, one-horse 
harrow or hoe should be begun as soon as the ground is in good condition 
to work in the spring, and it should be kept up until well into midsum- 
mer or later. Close pruning induces the growth of large berries and 
large bunches, while a superabundance of fruit-bearing wood tends to the 
production of numerous small bunches, with smaller berries. Each bud 
on last year's growth of wood may be counted on to produce from one 
to five bunches of grapes when the vine is well pruned. 

The varieties that succeed best are the Concord everywhere, and in 
some localities the Delaware, Martha, Roger's Hybrids. Nos. 4, 5, % and 
15. 

PLUMS. 

Plum raising in the west has not generally been profitable. Of the 
natives the Wild Goose, Miner, De Soto and Weaver succeed best and 
in some localities have given satislaction. Of the eastern varieties the 
Lombard or Spanish King has proved the most profitable in central 
Iowa. The curculio is the great enemy of plum raising of the choice 
varieties. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 75 

CHERRIES. 

Several varieties of cherries are grown in abundance on the prairie 
soil. The Early Richmond, top-grafted on the Morello, makes a good 
tree and begins to bear two or three years after planting. The Late 
Richmond and English Morello also do well in most parts of the west. 
Sweet cherries of the Heart varieties do not succeed. Plum and 
cherry trees should be planted about eighteen feet apart each way. 



6A 



THE TEGETABLE GAIlDE]Sr. 



CHAPTER IX. 



The garden should be near the house with a southern exposure, on 
dry soil and kept well manured. It must be securely protected from 
poultry, pigs and all kind of stock. Every farmer will find that it pays 
to have a good garden, for none of the products of the farm contribute 
more towards setting a good table, than a plentiful supply of vegetables. 
They give variet}^ to the daily meals, and supply many little luxuries 
that can not otherwise be indulged in, besides being preservers of health. 
With a little care early vegetables may be supplied at small expense. 
Be careful to get good seeds, of the best varieties in all cases. 

Sowirig the Seed and Preparing the iS'oiY.—These are very important 
matters, and care should be taken to have your seed bed finely raked and 
free from all rubbish aud lumps, and well enriched with well-rotted 
manure, and also not to sow seed too early, or, in other words, until the 
soil becomes sufficiently warm and dry, so that it will work mellow and 
crumble to pieces when struck with the spade. Do not attempt to raise 
fine flowers or good vegetables on a poor soil: always keep a heap of 
manure on hand for the next season, when it will be thoroughly rotted 
and ready for use. If these points are overlooked and the seed sown too 
early, it is apt to rot or perish, and consequently involve a loss and sad 
disappointment on the part of the cultivator, and is not the fault of the 
seed or seedsmen, as it is unfortunately laid a great many times. 
By sowing everything, as much as possible, in drills, instead of broadcast, 
a great deal of labor will be saved, as all can be kept clear of weeds by 
the hoe and hand cultivator. 

Hot Beds.-Thoi hot-bed is made by forming a pile of horse manure 
with the straw used for bedding or leaves, some three feet in height, and 
about 12 or 18 inches larger all around than the size of the frame to be 
used. Shake all together, so that the straw and manure will be equally 
mixed. It may be sunk in the ground a foot or eighteen inches, or made 
on the surface. Place the Prame on as soon as the bed is made, and fill 
in with about 5 or 6 inches of good mellow soil, keeping the frame 
closed for a few days until fermentation takes place and the soil quite 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 77 

warm. It is better to wait a day or two after tliis, and then sow the seeds. 
The frame can be constructed by any handyman at a very small expense. 
It consists- of a wooden frame, from 3 to 6 feet wide, and from G to 16 
feet long, according to the supply of vegetables or flowers required. 
The back side should be at least 6 inches higher than the front— the 
frame sub-divided by cross-bars, and each division covered by a glazed 
sash. The frame should face the south or southeast. From the time 
Ihe seed is sown, attention to airing and shading during the hot part of 
the day, and covering up at night, is essential, and also that the soil be 
never allowed to get dry. The watering should be done with a very fine 
rose watering pot, and with tepid water. The temperature at night 
may range from 55 degrees to 65 degrees, and during the d ly from 70 
to 80. 

Gold Frame. — A cold frame is so easy in construction and manage- 
ment as to be available to all. This is simply a hot-bed frame, with 
glazed sash, placed upon a bed of fine mellow earth, in soiuc sheltered 
place in the garden. After the frame is secured in it's place, a couple 
of inches of fine earth should be placed inside, and the fnune closed up 
for a day or two before the seeds are planted. As the cold frame 
depends upon the sun for its warmth, it must not be staited as soon as 
the hot-bed, and in this latitude the latter part of April is soon enough. 
Watering occasionally will be necessary, and air must be given in bright, 
warm days. Shade also is necessary.^ 

Thinning is a very important operation. Everything ought to be 
thinned very early, even in seed leaf, if the plants stand too close. 
Another thinning may be necessary when they are more advanced, to 
give them room to grow stocky. All plants, when crowded together, run 
up tall and slender, and never succeed well. 

Transplanting. — In transplanting, the main points to be regarded are, 
care in taking up the plants, so as to avoid injury to the roots, planting 
firmly so as to enable the plant to take a secure hold of the soil, reducing 
the top to prevent evaporation, and shading to prevent the hot sun from 
withering and blighting the leaves. Transplanting should be done just 
at evening, or immediately before or after a rain. Give each plant a 
gill of water, and shade from sunshine. 

The tillage of the garden should be done with the most approved labor- 
saving implements — wheel-lioes for hand use, scarifiers and cultlcators for. 
horse ; the seeds should be sown with hand-drill s., and featilizers of the 
guano class applied with similar apparatus, and thus, without interfering 
with the labor of the farm, be made to yield vegetables in profusion, 
when if the spade and hoe be relied on they are produced in stinted 
quanity. 



78 



THE HOMESTEAD MANFAL. 



The amateur gardener, and the experts as well, should make out a 
list of the varieties of vegetables he desires to have, and then lay off 
on 2Kiper a diagram of Id's garden^ assigning cerfain roios to each sort. 
He can then readily calculate by reference to the following table the 
amount of seed he will require : 

QUANTITY OP EACH KIND OF VEGETABLE SEED TO SOW ONE HUNDRED YARDS OF 
- SINGLE ROW. 



Asparagus.: 

Beans, Bush 

" Lima 

'' Pole 

Beet 

Brocolli 

Brussels SproHts 

Cabbage 

Carrot 

Cauliflower 

Celery 

CoUards 



ounces. 

quarts. 

pints. 

pint. 

ounces. 

ounce. 



ounces, 
ounce, 
ounces, 
ounce. 



2 



Corn 

Cress 

Cucumber. 
Egg Plant. 

Endive 

Leek 2 

Lettuce 2 

Melon, Water.... 4 

Citron 4 

Mustard 2 

Okra 6 

Onion, 2 oz. for large bulbs. 



qt. 
ounces. 



ounce, 
ounces. 



ounce, 
ounces. 



Parsley 
Peas 



6oz 

... 2 
.... 3 

Pepper %, 

Pumpkin . . 

Radish ... 

Rhubarb... 



3 
3 
4 

Salsify 4 

Spinach 4 

Squash 3 

Tomato 1 



for sets 

ounces. 

quarts. 

ounce. 

ounces. 



Turnip 2 



ounce, 
ounce. 



The thoughtful cultivator will provide himself with a surplus quan- 
tity of the seeds he designs to plant, to hold as a reserve for re-planting, 
as dry weather, beating rains, and insect depredations often destroy the 
first sowings. 

QUANTITY OF SEED AND NUMBER OF PLANTS REQUISITE TO CROP AN ACRE OF LAND. 



Asparagus in 12 inch drills 16 quarts. 

plants®, 4x11^ feet. . 80, 0. 

Barley 2^ bushels. 

Beans, Bush in drills, ® 2^4 ft. . IH bushels. 

" Pole, Lima (ra 4x4 ft 20 quarts. 

" Carolina, Prolific, etc., 

4x3 10 

Beets and Mangolds in drills @ 

8^2 ft 4 to G pounds. 

Broom corn in drills 12 

Buckwheat H to 1 bu. 

Cabbage, sown in outdoor beds 

for transplanting 10 ounces. 

Cabbage, sown in frames 4 " 

Carrots, in drills @2:s.y<i feet 4 pounds. 

Celery, seed 8 ounces. 

plants @. 4x4H ft 25,000 

Clover, Wliitc Dutch 16 pounds. 

" Lucerne 10 " 

" Alsike 6 " 

" Large Red with Timothyl2 
. " " '* without " 16 ', 

Corn, Sugar 10 quarts. 

'• Field 6 to 8 

Com Salad, drills, 10 inches, 

largeeeed 25 pounds. 

Cucumber, in hills @ 2 quarts. 

'• in drills 3 " 

Egg Plants, plants 3x3 ftt 4 ounces. 

Endive, in drills @ 2% f t 3 pounds . 

Flax, broadcast 20 quarts. 



Grass, Millett 32 

Hemp, broadcast V^ 

Kale, Germau Greens 3 

Luttuce, in rows 2)4 ft 3 

Leek, "'■ '• 3 

Lawn Grass 35 

Melons, Water, in hills 8x8 ft. . 3 
Citron, " 4x4 ft... 2 

Oats 2 to 3 

Okra, in drills, ^Yzx^i feet 20 

Onion, in beds for sets 35 

" in rows to make large 

bulbs 4 

Parsnip, in drills @,2ii ft 5 

Pepper, plants 21^x1 17,500. 



quarts, 
bushels, 
pounds . 



bushels, 
pounds. 



Pumpkin, in hills, 8x8 ft 2 

Parsley, in drills @ 2 f t 4 

Peas, in drills, short varieties. . 2 
tall "■ 1 to 114 

'' broadcast 3 

Potatoes 8 

Radish, in drills @ 2 ft 8 

Rye, broadcast 2 

" drilled I14 

Salsify, in drills @2yi ft 10 pounds 

Spinach, broadcast 30 " 

Squash, Bush, in hills 5tx4ft 3 " 

" running, 8x8 ft 2 '' 

Sorghum 4 quarts. 

Turnips, in drills @ ft 2 pounds 

" broadcast 3 " 



quarts, 
pounds, 
bushels. 



pounds, 
bushels. 



i\ 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 79 



Grass, Timothy, with 'Clover. .. 6 pounde 
"• " without " . -.10 '"'■ 

" Orchard 25 

Red Top 30 

Blue 28 

'• Eye 20 



Tomatoes, in frame 3 ounces. 

" seed in hills 3x3.... 8 

plants 3,800 

Wheat, in drills, 1^ bushels. 

" broadcast 2 "• 



We here give a few general directions for planting and cultivation of 
vegetables and plants in general use : 

ArticJiokc. — Plant early in Spring, in deep, rich, sandy loam. Fol- 
lowing Spring transplant to permanent beds in rows three feet apart 
and two feet in the row. They mature the second year. Must be pro- 
tected in Winter, The edible portion is the undeveloped flower-head, 
which is only fit for use before it begins to bloom. It is eaten raw and 
boiled, and by epicures is considered quite a luxury. 

Asparagus. — Soak the seed fbr twenty-four hours in tepid water ; 
sow early in Spring, in rows two feet apart ; keep clean by frequent 
weeding and hoeing. At one or two years old transplant to per- 
manent beds. The ground should be trenched over or dug two feet 
deep, burying plenty of manure, decayed leaves, or leaf mould, mixing 
it thoroughly with the soil. Lay out the beds four and a half feet wide, 
and draw three drills fourteen inches apart and sixteen inches deep, 
lengthwise of each bed ; place the roots in them about a foot 
apart, in their natural j)ositio7i, and cover fourteen inches deep. A rich 
sandy loam is most suitable. Every autumn, after clearing off the 
stalks, spread on a covering of manure, to be forked in, with a good 
dressing of fine salt, very early in the Spring. A new bed should not 
be cut over before the third year. 

Beans — Dwarf or Bush varieties. — Dwarf or Bush Beans require no 
support, and may be planted in hills or drills, the latter way being pre- 
ferred. Make the drills an inch and a half deep, and drop the beans 
three inches apart in the drills. Beans are tender annuals, and cannot 
be planted till danger of frost is past. Keep clean, but do not hill up 
or hoe when wet, as it tends to make them rust. A sandy loam is most 
desirable. 

Beans — Pole or Running. — These are more tender and require rather 
more care and culture than the Bush Beans ; they succeed best in clay 
loam, which should be liberally enriched with short manure in the hills, 
which are formed according to the variety, from three to four feet 
apart ; from five to six seeds are planted in each hill about two inches 
deep. 

Beets. — Beets are an important crop with market gardeners. They 
succeed best in rich, sandy loam. Early varieties should be sown as 
early as the ground can be worked, and for a succession every two weeks 



80 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

to first of June. For winter crop sow in May. Seed 

quicker if soaked in warm water six hours, but care should be 

taken not to phiiit soaked seed in very dry ground, as it is liable to die. 

Cabbage. — Sow early sorts in hod-bed in February and March, or in 
open ground as soon as it can be worked. Later and winter crops, in 
May or June, in shallow drills, six inches apart. When the plants are 
four inches high, transplant into richly manured ground ; the early 
kinds two feet apart ; the fall and winter varieties three feet apart. 
The ground should be deeply loosened and worked thoroughly and often 
to produce solid heads. 

For winter and spring lift the plants before severe frost sets in. 
Select the driest and most sheltered part of the garden, and bury the 
roots, stump and portion of the head in the ground, and when the 
weathei is severe cover with straw and a light covering of earth. 

Celery. — Sow seed in open ground, in light, sandy soil, in April, and 
thoroughly firm the soil; keep shaded, moist and clean of weeds. Clip 
the tops two or three times, to make the plants stocky, before trans- 
planting, which should be done in July, in trenches eight inches deep 
and three feet apart for dwarf, and four for tall varieties. Cultivate 
often for two months, when it will be time to commence " earthing up," 
which should be done by degrees as the plants grow, being careful not 
to allow any soil to get into the center of the plant. Store in trenches, 
in well drained, open ground, twelve inches wide and of sufficient depth 
so the tops of the celery will be six inches above the surface, which 
must slope to carry off the surface water. Set plants closely together 
in an upright position. On the approach of severe cold weather, cover 
gradually (to prevent heating) with hay or leaves, and boards to keep out 
moisture. The stalks will blanch perfectly and may be taken out at any 
time during the winter. 

Carrot. — A light, sandy loam, deeply tilled, is best. For early crops, 
sow in spring soon as ground can be worked, in rows fifteen inches 
apart, covering one inch. For field culture rows should be of suffi- 
cient distance to admit the use of a horse cultivator. Sow seed in 
May. 

Cucumbers. — Cucumbers succeed best in rich, loamy soil. For first 
early sow in hot-beds, upon pieces of sod or in small flower pots, six 
veeks before they can be set out in open ground. When danger of frost 
is over transplant to hills f<)ur feet apart each way. For general crop, 
plant in open ground in May, about twelve seeds in a hill. When danger 
of bugs is past, thin to four strong plants in a hill. For pickles, plant 
in June. Sprinkle vines with plaster or air-slacked lime to protect from 
bugs. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. , 8l 

EARLY CORN. 

The following varieties are highly recommended for garden cultiva- 
tion : 

Extra Early Six Weeks produced good roasting ears for us last sea- 
son in less than six weeks from planting. Ears small but well filled ; 
not sweet. 

Early Minnesota. Early, excellent; ears large, very uniform. 

Crosby's Early Sweet. Little later than above; sweet and fine. 

Moore's Early Concord. Large, well filled ears; highly prized. 

Early Des Moines. An excellent variety, which has been grown and 
tiriproved by the gardeners in this vicinity for many years. Among the 
earliest; good sized ears, delicious flavor. 

Early Boynton. One of the very earliest. Ears about seven inches 
long; quality superb. 

Lettuce. — Sow in hot-beds in March; open ground soon as can be 
worked. Transplant to rows 12 inches apart in very rich, pulverized 
soil. Or, for early plants, sow in September, and winter over in cold 
frames. For succession, plant every three weeks during the season. 
Thin out as it grows so that the plants left to head will stand 12 inches 
apart. 

Mush Melon. — A rich sandy loam is most advisable for melons. The 
seeds should be planted in hills 4 or 6 feet each way, thoroughly mixing 
with the soil in each hill a couple of shovelfuls of thoroughly rotted 
manure, which will produce a strong and healthy growth; plant when 
the earth becomes warm, in as warm a situation as can be found. Put 
10 or 12 seeds in each hill, and after they are out of danger from bugs, 
thin out to three or four plants; when small, dust with ashes or air- 
slacked lime, when the dew is on to protect from bugs. 

Water Melon. — Plant in hills six or eight feet apart; cultivate same as 
Musk Melons. 

Nasturtium, or Indian Cress. — Cultivated both for use and ornament. 
Its beautiful orange-colored flowers serve as a garnish for dishes, and 
the young leaves are excellent in salads. The flower buds scarcely 
formed and the green seed pods, preserved in vinegar, make a pickle 
esteemed by many superior to capers. One ounce will sow 25 feet of 
drill. Sow early in spring, in drills one inch deep — the "Tall" variety 
by the side of a fence, trellis-work, or some other support to climb upon; 
and the "Dwarf" to form borders for the alleys. They will thrive in 
good ground in almost any situation but are most productive in light 
soil. 

Onion. — The onion thrives best on very rich loamy soil. Unlike most 



82 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

vegetables, it flourishes when cultivated on the same land for many suc- 
cessive years. If possible, plow ground in fall. Sow four pounds of 
seed per acre as early in spring as soil can he tvorked, which must be 
thoroughly pulverized and leveled, in drills 15 inches apart; cover one- 
half inch. Commence hoeing soon as rows can be seen; skim the ground 
over the surface, avoid stirring deeply, and work the soil away from the 
bulbs. At second hoeing weed thoroughly and carefully by hand; thin 
plants to 3 inches in the row. When the tops die, pull and spread evenly 
over the ground; stir or turn until fully dried, then cut the tops one-half 
inch from the bulb. To keep onions through winter, a cool, dry, outside 
cellar, (those under dwellings being usually too warm,) or barn may be 
employed, any cool, (not freezing) dry, well ventilated room will do. If 
in a barn, protect all sides with two feet of good straw. Do not pile 
them in more than 10 inch layers between the straw. Freezing does not 
injure if not allowed to thaw and freeze again. To grow sets from seed 
sow very early and thick in drills. When tops die down (about middle 
of July) they are ready to harvest. 

Parsnips. — Sow early in spring, in drills 15 inches apart, covering 
half an inch. Thin to 5 or 6 inches apart in the rows. They are im- 
proved by the frost, and it is usual to take up in the fall a certain quan- 
tity for winter, leaving the rest in the ground until spring; in this lati- 
tude they need no protection if left in the ground. 

Pumpkin. — Pumpkins are now principally cultivated for agricultural 
purposes. They are usuallv planted in fields of corn or potatoes, but 
may be profitably raised in fields by themselves. Plant in May, in hills 
10 feet apart both ways. 

Peas. — Peas mature quickest on light, dry soil, not too rich. May 
be sown as early as the ground can be worked, and for a succession every 
two weeks up to July, after which there is danger of mildew. Sow in 
drills 4 to 6 feet apart, according to varieties, 1 inch apart in the drills, 
not less than 4 inches deep, and late in the season 7 or 8 inches. 
Occasionally a good late crop can be obtained by sowing an early sort as 
late as the 30th of August. 

Radish. — For early use sow on thoroughly e^iriched, warm soil, pro- 
tected on the north and west if possible, as early as the ground can be 
handled. For a succession at intervals of two weeks until midsummer. 
The winter varieties should be sown about the time of turnip sowing. 
Good radishes cannot be raised on poor soil. They require very quick 
growth. 

Rhuharh or Pie Plant. — This succeeds best on deep, rich soil. Sow 
in spring, in drills, cover one inch. Thin plants to six inches apart. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANXTAL. 83 

Transplant in spring or autumn to permanent beds, 3 feet apart each 
way. It is a strong feeder, and bears manuring heavily. 

Spinach. — Extremely wholesome and palatable. Used for greens. For 
summer, sow early in spring, in deep, rich soil, in drills 1 foot apart, 
cover 1 inch. Sow at intervals of two weeks through the season. For 
very early spring use, sow the winter varieties in August, and protect by 
covering with straw. 

Squash. — Plant about the middle of May,in hills, the early varieties 4 
to 5 feet apart, and the late sorts 8 or 10 feet. The hills should be 
highly manured, and prepared in a similar manner to those for melons. 
Plant from 6 to 10 seeds in a hill, thinning out after they have attained 
their rough leaves, leaving 3 or 4 of the strongest plants. Dust the 
plants when the dew is on, with air-slaked lime or ashes, to keep them 
from being destroyed by the striped bug. 

Tomato. — Sow in a hot-bed in March and April, or, for want of hot- 
bed, in window-pots or boxes, or in a warm border on the south side of a 
fence by the last of April or first of May ; thin to three or four inches 
to keep them low and stocky, and when frosts are no longer to be feared, 
transplant to four by four feet apart. Hoe often and earth up a little 
until the plants are a foot high, when they may be supplied with 
supports or be allowed to spread on the ground. 

Turnip. — For the spring crop, sow the Early White Dutch, or the 
Strap-leaved sorts as early as the seed can be got into the ground, in 
drills fourt'^en inches apart, and thin to five or six inches. For the fall 
or main crop sow, at the north, from the middle of July to the last of 
August, in drills as directed for the spring sowing. In the field the 
turnips are more generally sown broadcast, though much the larger 
crops are obtained by drill culture. The sowing should always be done 
just before or after a rain, if possible. An acre requires from one to 
two pounds of seed. 

Ruta Baga^ or Swede Turnip. — The ruta baga, Swedish or Russian 
turnip, is extensively grown for a farm crop ; the roots are close-grained, 
very hard, and will endure a considerable degree of cold without injury. 
The roots are best preserved in a pit or cellar during the winter, and 
are excellent for the table early in spring. Sow from 20th of June to 
the 1st of July, in drill two feet apart, and thin out to 8 or 10 inches. 

Mammoth Russian Sunflower. — Sunflower seed is the best egg 
producing food known for poultry, they eat it greedily, keeping them in 
fine condition and fatten well on it. It is also being planted in low 
grounds and around drains, as a preventive of malarial fevers. It can 
be planted on any waste piece of ground, from 1st of May to 1st of July. 
Plant in hills three feet apart. 



THE HOTJSEHOI.D, 

CHAPTER XL 



HOME COOKING. 



The methods of cooking here given are from the actual experience of 
accomplished housekeepers, and will be found suited to the home in 
every day life. Those who want to get up fancy dishes for ornament 
and style alone, will not find all they are in seach of in these pages. The 
three considerations — health, convenience and economy, have been con- 
tinually kept in view in the preparation of the methods, recipes and in- 
structions found in this chapter. 

SOUPS. 

Beef Soup. — The meat should be cut into several pieces, and the 
bones cracked. Put on in cold water, and bring slowly to a boil. Before 
it comes to the boiling point, the scum will rise freely; take this off be- 
fore it breaks; then when it does boil throw in a cup of water and skim 
again. It must never go below boiling point after this until made, but 
it must boil slowly. Do not add the salt until the meat is thoroughly 
done, as it has a tendency to harden the fibres and retain the flow of the 
juises. Boil from five to six hours, and strain through a cullender. 
Beef soup is much better if made before it is wanted, so that all the fat 
can be removed. 

Holiday Soup. — In carving your turkey, slice the meat from all of 
the larger bones, put with them points of wings, neck and such parts as 
have but little meat on, set away in a cold place and you can have a de- 
licious soup any time within three days. The savings of a good turkey 
will make three quarts of rich soup. Three hours before the soup is 



THE HOMESTEAD MANTTAL. 85 

wanted, put the pieces over to boil in the proper quantity of water, boil 
two hours, then skim out the bones and carefully pick from them any 
nice meat that may remain, leave out bits of skin and bones, return to 
the kettle, season with salt and pepper to the taste, add butter the size 
of an egg, and simmer until wanted for the table. 

0\STER Soup. — Drain the liquor from a quart of oysters through a 
cullender, put with it a pint of water in a kettle over the fire; when it 
comes to boiling heat, add three pints of new milk, season with salt and 
a generous piece of butter, and when it boils drop in the oysters with a 
dozen oyster crackers rolled fine; when it boils up once send to the table. 

Bean Soup. — For three quarts of soup take one pint of white beans. 
Soak over night — giving plenty of water to be absorbed; rinse before the 
first boiling, add a little soda to the first water, boil fifteen minutes, 
drain through a cullender, then add seven pints of water which is to con- 
stitute the soup; boil from two to three hours, mash the beans thorougly 
when done, season with salt, have your toureen hot, put in it a piece of 
butter half the size of a teacup or more if you like, strain into the tou- 
reen and send to the table. Marrowfat beans are thought by many to be 
the best for soup. 

Another Bean Soup. — After breakfast put one coffeecup of beans 
into four quarts of water, with the trimmings from yonr breakfast steak 
or other bits of meat. Let it boil constantly until dinner, adding water 
if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, and when done strain into a 
toureen through a cullender. 

G-reen Corn Soup. — Take one dozen ears of green corn, shave the 
corn from the cobs, put the cobs into a gallon of cold water and boil 
thirty minutes; take them out and skim the water carefully; chop or 
bruise the corn, and boil thirty minutes in the same water; add two quarts 
of new milk, season with butter, salt and pepper. Let it boil up and then 
serve. 

Potato Soup. — Peel and slice four potatoes, boil them in two quarts 
of water till done, then add a pint of new milk, pepper, salt and butter 
to suit taste. A teacup of cream added just before taken up improves 
very much. 



86 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

GrREEN Pea Soup. — Four pounds of beef cut in pieces, one-half peck 
green peas, and one gallon of water. Boil the empty pods of peas in the 
water one hour before putting in the beef. Strain them out, add the 
beef, and boil slowly for an hour and a half longer. Half an hour before 
serving strain through a cullender and add the shelled peas, and twenty 
minutes later add salt and pepper. 

Tomato Soup. — Two and a-half pounds of veal or lamb, one gallon of 
water, two quarts of fresh tomatoes, peeled and cut fine. Boil the meat 
to shreds and the water down to two quarts. Strain the liquor, put in 
the tomatoes, stirring them very hard that they may dissolve thoroughly; 
boil half an hour. Season with parsley or any other green herb you 
may prefer, and pepper and salt. Strain again and stir in a tablespoon- 
ful of butter, with a teaspoonful of sugar before serving. This soup is 
better still if made with the broth in which chickens were boiled for 
yesterday's dinner, — Marion Harland. 

MEATS. 

Roast Beef. — Roasting is a very simple operation, requiring no pre- 
paration except a bright fire and a hot oven. If the joint is very lean 
put into the pan a tablespoonful, or two, of water, if fat, it will not 
require any. While the meat is in the oven, baste it several times, and 
when about half done turn it, always keeping the thickest part of the 
meat in the hottest part of the oven. The fire should be kept hot and 
bright. Allow half an hour to each pound of meat. If the oven is in 
good condition the meat will be brown and the bottom of the pan covered 
with a thick glaze. Remove the meat, put the pan on the stove and 
pour into it half a cup of boiling water and a little salt. This makes a 
delicious gravy. Before the joint is served sift over it evenly fine salt. 
If the meat is tough, a good way to cook it is to boil until tender and 
roast in the kettle, turning often until brown. Corned beef, to be good, 
must be boiled very slowly. 

Beefsteak. — The best possible way to cook a beefsteak is to broil. 
A wood fire is best for this purpose, but with care it may be done over a 
coal fire. The coal must not blaze, but be burned down to a bed of red 
coals, yet it must be very hot. If you cannot have the fire just right, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 87 

and it is difficult to do so when other things are cooking, do not 
attempt broiling, but have a fryingpan smoking hot, and, after hacking 
the steak with a dull knife (never pound it) put into the pan without 
butter or fat of any kind. In either broiling or frying, a steak should 
be turned frequently. 

Pressed Beef. — Boil beef of any good kind till the bones fall out ; 
pick it over carefully, removing all gristle and inedible substance, chop 
it fine, season with salt and such herbs as taste suggests, press in a pan 
with a heavy weight. When cold cut in slices and serve. Very tough 
and cheap pieces of beef may be made really delicious by this mode of 
preparation. 

Boned Ham. — Having soaked a well cured ham in tepid water over 
night, boil it until it is perfectly tender, putting it on the range in warm 
water ; take it up in a wooden tray, and leave it to cool. Afterward 
remove the bone carefully, and press the ham again into shape ; return 
it to the boiling liquor, remove the pot from the fire, and let the ham 
remain until it is cold. 

To Boast a Shoulder of Mutton. — Season and roast the same as 
beef, basting with butter and water till there is plenty of gravy. Mut- 
ton requires more cooking than beef. 

Chicken Pot-Pik. — Cut the chicken in pieces ready to serve, boil 
until it begins to be tender, have plenty of liquor in your kettle, season 
with salt and drop in a piece of butter. Make a crust like biscuit, only 
richer, roll rather thin, cut in strips and lay across the top and around 
the sides. Allow three-quarters of an hour for -the crust to cook. 
Make a thickening with flour and water, beaten smooth, pour this in at 
the sides of the kettle by tilting the cover, if the air is admitted the crust 
is likely to fall. 

Baked Chicken Pie. — Cut the chicken in pieces ready to serve, boil 
in water barely sufficient to cover them till cooked nearly enough for the 
table; skim the water carefully. Bemove the skin if it is very thick. 
Line a deep dish with a rich light crust, place the pieces of chicken in 
layers ; such as have bones in them should be laid from the center to the 
edge, to make carving more easy. Season each layer with salt and 



88 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

pepper, put in bits of butter, and sprinkle with flour, pour over all as 
much of the liquid in which the chicken was boiled as the dish will hold 
without boiling over. Roll the upper crust twice as thick as for fruit 
pies, cut out a small round piece from the middle, for the steam to pass 
out, and lay it over the dish, first wetting the under crust with a thin 
paste, to close the edges tightly. Bake in a quick oven. 

To Fry Prairie Chicken. — Skin the breast and legs of a prairie 
chicken — as these are the only parts that it is profitable to cook. Let 
them lie in cold salt and water an hour, or better still, with salt and 
pepper sprinkled on them over night. Slice the breast in four pieces, 
roll it and the legs in floor, and lay in hot lard, cover tightly and set 
where it will steam till nearly done, then remove the cover and fry a 
light brown. 

Roast Wild Duck. — Parboil in water with a little salt, placing a 
carrot or an onion inside, to absorb the fishy taste. When boiled half an 
hour, stuff as you would a turkey — adding onions if prefered — roast till 
brown and tender, basting with butter and water at first, then with the 
drippings, make a gravy by taking off every bit of fat, then thicken with 
flour. 

Roast RABBiT.^Soak in water slightly salted for an hour and a half, 
changing the water once during the time. Parboil the heart and liver, 
chop fine, and mix with a slice of fat pork also minced, add to these a 
sufficient quantity of bread crumbs and season to taste with salt pepper 
and sage. Stuff the body with this and sew it up. Rub with butter and 
roast, basting with butter and water until the gravy flows freely, then 
with the dripping. It should be done in an hour. Dredge with flour a 
few minutes before taking it up, then baste once with butter, add to the 
gravy a tablespoonful of butter, and thicken with browned flour. 

Baked Fish. — Open the fish so that it will lie perfectly flat. Rub 
salt over it, and sprinkle with flour, lay it in a dripping pan, with a little 
butter in the pan and on the fish, put it in a very hot oven and bake 
twenty minutes or half an hour. Of course the skin side is laid next 
the pan. 

Meat Cakes. — Chop any kind of fresh cold meats very fine ; sea- 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 89 

son with salt and pepper ; make a nice batter ; lay a spoonful of batter 
oo the griddle to prevent it sticking, then a spoonfull of chopped meat, 
and then a spoonful of batter ; when it is browned on one side turn 
carefully and brown on the other. It makes a palatable dish. 

EGOS. 

Scrambled Eggs. — Put a piece of butter into a frying-pan and, 
when hot, pour in the eggs, which should be previously broken into a 
dish and seasoned. Stir constantly till cooked as much as desired. 
Serve immediately. 

Omelet. — Six eggs; beat the yolks, and add one tea cup of milk; beat 
two tablespoons of flour with a little milk; beat the whites to a stiff 
froth, mix all together, and fry in a buttered spider. 

Shirred Eges on Toast. — Buttered toast; 1 egg to each slice; but- 
ter, pepper, salt. Drop whole eggs into a dish. Set it in the oven. Let 
it remain there until the whites of the eggs are set. The moment the 
dish is taken from the oven break the eggs with a fork, add pepper, salt 
and butter to taste. Then spread it on hot and crisp toasted bread, well 
buttered. Eggs prepared in this way are equally nice on Graham, brown, 
or flour bread, toasted. 

VEGEXABIiES. 

RULES APPLICABLE TO THE COOKING OF ALL VEGETABLES. 

First. — Have them as fresh as possible; Summer vegetables should 
be cooked on the same day they are gathered. Second. — Lay them, 
when peeled, in cold water for some time before cooking. Third. — If 
to be boiled, put a little salt into the water. Fourth. — Cook them stead- 
ily after they are put on. Fifth. — Be sure they are thoroughly done — 
rare vegetables are neither palatable nor healthy. Sixth. — Drain well. 
Seventh. — Serve hot. 

POTATOES. 

Mashed Potatoes. — Old potatoes are best mashed. Pare and let 
them lie in cold water half an hour. Put a pinch of salt into the water 
in which they are boiled. Drain thoroughly when done, sprinkle with 



90 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

salt, and masli with a wire masher. Add a little butter and enough milk 
to make the consistency of soft dough; beat until perfectly smooth and 
free from lumps. 

PoTATOE Balls. — Make cold mashed potato into flat cakes; flour and 
fry in lard until they are a light brown. 

Potato Croquettes. — For croquettes mash your potatoes, season 
with butter, milk, salt, a dash of nutmeg and a dash of cayenne pepper; 
add the beaten yolk of an egg. Beat thoroughly; and mould up into 
balls or oblongs; roll these in egg and then in fine cracker crumbs and 
fry in boiling lard. 

Saratoga Potatoes are prepared with a little cabbage cutter, which 
shaves ofl" a large fair potato slices of fairy-like thinness. Put the slices 
for a few minutes on ijce or in cold water. Try your boiling hot lard 
with one slice to see if it colors properly; if all right, put in a few sli- 
ces; when of a delicate yellow color, skim them out upon a tin plate 
with your perforated tin ladle, sprinkle over them some fine. salt and put 
them in your dish. They are as good coM as hot. 

CABBAGE. 

Hot Slaw. — Mince or slice the cabbage, the finer the better. Put a 
piece of butter the size of an egg into a spider; when melted, put in the 
cabbage, and a cup of boiling water, salt and pepper. Cover close, and 
cook till tender and dry. Have ready an egg, well beaten, half a cup of 
vinegar, a tablespoonful of sugar, thoroughly mix, and pour over the 
cabbage the last thing before taking up. Stir for a moment and serve 
hpt. 

Cold Slaw. — An excellent cold slaw is made by shredding a solid 
head of cabbage with a thin, sharp knife or a slaw cutter, then placing 
the cut cabbage in your dish, pour over it a dressing made by heating 
a pint of vinegar scalding hot, then beating into it quickly one beaten 
egg with a lump of butter as large as a walnut, and a tablespoonful of 
sugar. The cabbage should be slightly sprinkled with salt and pepper 
as it is put in the dish. 

Dressiug for Chopped Cabbage. — The yolks of three or four 
hard-boiled eggs, mashed fine, with a lump of butter the size of a walnut . 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 91 

add to this a teaspoonful of mustard, and beat it all up in vinegar weak- 
ened by water and sweetened with sugar so as to be palatable, and pour 
while hot over the cabbage and cover. Serve when cold. Some prefer 
salad oil in the place of butter. 

BOILED ONIONS. 

Peel and lay in cold water half an hour, put in a kettle with boiling 
water to cover them, cook sixteen minutes and drain off the water, re- 
cover with water from the boiling tea-kettle, boil until a straw will pierce 
them; drain and put into a dish with pepper, salt and plenty of butter. 

SlilCED TOMATOES. 

Do not scald, but pare with a keen knife, slice thin and evenly, cut- 
ting out the hard core if there is any; lay in uniform rows in a dish, and 
Bet on ice or in the cellar until wanted for the table; serve in individual 
dishes, and let each dress their own; some prefer sugar, others pepper, 
salt and vinegar. 

BREAD. 

From inferior flour it is possible to make biscuit, mufiius, plain pastry 
and pan cakes that are eatable ; but to make good bread you must have 
the best of flour. In handling flour, squeeze a handful tightly, and if it 
retains the imprint of the hand it is pretty safe to conclude that it is 
not the best quality or that it is new flour. In either case it is greatly 
improved by sifting enough for each baking into the bread tray and ex- 
posing to the hot sun for several hours, or setting near the stove. Next 
in importance to the quality of the flour is that of the yeast, which 
should be light and lively. Set the dough to rise in a moderately warm 
place, and keep it in an even temperature. Cold arrests the process of 
fermentation; too much heat carries forward the work too rapidly, and 
makes the dough puffy and sour. In this case, if you do not wish to 
throw it away, which is the best possible thing to do with sour bread, 
dissolve a little soda in hot water and work it well in. Bread should be 
mixed as wft as it can be handled. It will rise sooner, be lighter and 
keep fresh longer if this rule is followed. If you can mould it at all, it 



92 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

is not too soft. When it is in managable shape, begin to knead. Work 
the mass into a ball, always having the hands and the board well floured; 
knead hard, and always toward the center of the mass, which should be 
repeatedly turned over and around. Brisk and long kneading, twenty 
minutes or half an hour, makes the pores fine and regular. This done, 
work the dough into a ball, sprinkle with flour, throw a cloth over it and 
leave on the kitchen table to rise. In summer it will rise in four or five 
hours — in winter in about six hours. It should come up steadily until 
it is treble its original size and the floured surface cracks all over the 
mass. Knead again ten or fifteen minutes; divide into as many parts as 
you want loaves, and put these into the well-greased pans for the final 
rising. Set the pans in a warm place for an hour longer. The 
oven should not be too hot. If you cannot hold your bare arm in it 
while you count thirty it is too hot. After the bread is in, keep the 
heat very regular. If the bread rises rapidly while baking, and the crust 
begins to form before the lower part of the loaf is baked, cover the top 
with a paper until you are ready to brown it. If the crust should burn, 
grate it instead of clipping with a knife. When taken from the oven, 
stand the loaves on edge, and cover with a cloth until cool. This posi- 
tion allows the air to cool all sides and prevents sweating. 

German Yeast. — Parch a teacupful of corn, cook it well, but do not 
brown much, put this with a good double handful of hops, tie it in a 
thin muslin bag, in a kettle with four quarts of water, and boil three 
hours; strain through a cullender, put back in the kettle and put in six 
large potatoes without paring, boil one hour, strain again and rub the 
potatoes through the cullender; return again to the kettle and add a tea- 
cup of white sugar, the same of salt, a tablespoonful of ginger and water 
enough to make a gallon. When cool put in a teacup of good yeast, or 
two yeast-cakes that you know are good, keep warm until it rises, which 
will take about thirty-six hours. 
Keep in a jar in the cellar. 

Self-working Yeast. — Tie two ounces hops in a coarse muslin bag, 

and boil one hour in four quarts of water,and let it get nearly cold before 

removing the bag. Wet witli the'|teDid liquor, a little|at a time, nn^ 

pound of flourj making to a smooth paste. Put in half a pound of white 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 93 

sugar, and one tablespoonful of salt; beat up tlie batter three minutes 
before adding the rest of the tea. Set it away for two days in an open 
bowl covered with a thin cloth, in a closet which is moderately and also 
evenly warm. On the third day peel, boil and mash eight potatoes, and 
strain through a cullender into the thickened hop liquor, let it stand 
twelve hours longer in the bowl, stir often and keep in the warm kitchen. 
Bottle, or put away in corked jars, and it will keep a month in a cool 
cellar. 

Bread. — Pear three large potatoes and boil in water enough for three 
pints when done; have one large spoonful of flour in a gallon crock and 
pour on the boiling potato-water, stir it well and mash the potatoes with 
a fork or a wire potato masher — a wooden mallet makes them heavy — 
and put the potatoes into a crock,stir well, and when about milk warm 
add two-thirds of a teacupful of Glerman yeast, cover the crock, and in 
cold weather cover with a cloth and set it where it will keep warm over 
night. If the sponge is not as light as a honeycomb in the morning, set 
the crock in a pan of quite warm water, and when as light as it can be, 
stir in flour enough to make a thick batter, and then let it rise very light 
again, which will take from two to three hours; this time have your 
tray of flour sifted and warmed, (you will need about five or six quarts), 
make a hole in the center and pour in the sponge, rinse the crock in a 
very little water and pour it in. Then proceed to mix and knead accord- 
ing to general directions. The above quantity will make three good 
loaves. 

Very nice light rolls may be made by taking the desired quantity at 
the last moulding and mixing in as much lard or butter as will make it 
tender, set very close in the baking pan to make them deep instead of 
making them spread. 

GrRAHAM Bread. — Make a sponge the same as for white bread, and 
finish with graham flour. Ten minutes will suffice for the moulding, 
but bake slowly and one-third longer than the time for white 
bread. 

Steamed^Brown]Bread. — Take one quart of corn meal, scald with 
a pint of almost boiling water; if boiling the meal will cook in lumps and 



94 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

be hard to make smooth. Add a pint of graham flour, a pint of sour 
milk, half a teacup of molasses, half a teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon 
of soda dissolved in warm water enough to make a rather thick batter. 

Steam from four to six hours, a double steamer is the best, if you do 
not have that use a flaring basin covered tight with a plate or pie tin, 
and set in a common steamer over a kettle. 

Baking Powder Biscuit. — Mix three heaping teaspoons of baking 
powder thoroughly with two quarts of sifted flour, add half a teaspoon 
of salt, rub into it lard and butter twice as large as an egg, mix soft with 
cold water or sweet milk, work as little as possible. Bake in a quick 
oven. 

Quick Graham Biscuits. — Three pints of graham flour, three tea- 
spoons of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt, mixed thoroughly with 
the flour; rub into this a piece of nice lard the size of an egg, and half 
as much butter, then pour in water or sweet milk slowly and stir to a 
stiff batter. Drop in spoonfuls as in drop cakes, in a 'dripping pan, or 
bake in gem cups. Bake in a moderate oven half an hour. 

Muffins. — One cup of flour and two cups of corn meal, or two cups of 
flour and one of meal, one-half cup of butter, one-half of sugar, two eggs 
and two tablespoons of baking powder; one cup of water and a little 
salt. Bake in mufiin rings or gem irons. 

Graham Muffins. — Add two beaten eggs to a pint of milk; stir in 
two and a half cups of graham flour and one teaspoon of baking powder. 
Bake in a quick oven fifteen minutes. These are made very quickly and 
easily. 

Johnny Cake. — One-half pint of sour milk or buttermilk, one pint 
sweet milk or water, one egg beaten light, half a teacup of sugar, lard or 
butter the size of an egg and half a teaspoonful of salt. Add meal to 
make a thin batter, and half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a very 
little water. Bake from one-half hour to one hour, according to the 
thickness of the loaf; this may be from one two inches. 

Waffles. — One quart of sour milk, one teaspoonful soda, three eggs, 
beaten separately, make a little stiffer than pancakes, sweet m^lk and 
baking powder can be used if preferred, some add butter half the size of 
an egg, warmed and beaten with the batter. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 95 

Graham Griddle Cakes. — Take three pints of warm water, one 
gill of good yeast, and an even teaspoon of salt, thicken with gaham 
flour, a very little thicker than for white flour cakes, set it in a warm 
place overnight to rise, and bake on a very hot griddle longer than white 
cakes. 

Butter Crackers. — One quart of flour, three tablespoons of butter, 
one-half teaspoonful soda, dissolved in hot water, one teaspoonful salt 
and two cups sweet milk. Rub the butter into the flour, or what is bet* 
ter, cut it up with a knife or chopper, as you do in pastry; add the salt, 
milk, and soda, mixing well. Work into a ball, lay upon a floured board 
and beat with a rolling pin for half an hour, turning and shifting the 
mass often. Roll into an even sheet, a quarter of an inch thick or less, 
prick deeply with a fork and bake in a moderate oven. Hang them up 
in a muslin bag in the kitchen for a day or two. 

cake: making and cake baking. 

The excellence and beauty of all cake, rich or plain, depends upon 
the manner in which the process of making is begun and carried to the 
sweet, not hitter, end. Cake should always be stirred in an earthen bowl 
— or a crock — and with a pudding or other stick kept for that purpose. 
The best way is to begin by preparing the baking pan, for a delicate 
white cake, it is well to line at least the bottom of your dish with but- 
tered paper; if you do not line, a good way is to grease carefully every 
corner and seam with a very little nice lard, use a clean white rag to rub 
with; if a cake sticks to the pan it is ruined. Next look to the fire, that 
your oven may have the proper heat, which should be mild ; having sat- 
isfied yourself on that important point, proceed by sifting flour and 
rolling sugar, if you do not use the granulated — which is much better, 
and less liable to adulteration. For delicate white cake, the very best, 
is the powdered sugar, generally used for frosting. The next thing to 
be done, is to measure the butter, which should be of good quality, and 
should be washed ; this can be done by adding a pint of water — tepid, 
if the butter is hard, but be careful not to make it warm enough to melt 
in the least or mischief will be done ; stir slowly for a few minutes, be 
sure the water has penetrated every particle; when it begins to look 



96 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

broken, drain off every drop of water, stir briskly until it is like thick 
cream, add the sugar, and you will be surprised to see bow little time 
it will take to '' cream " it again. Before going any farther stir in one 
half cup of the liour, then put in half of the milk — or water, which ig 
just as good, and another half cup of flour, stirring steadily all the time, 
and so keep on alternating flour with other ingredients untill all are 
used. Baking powder should be mixed with a tablespoonful of the flour 
and stirred in lightly the last thing ; do not stir more than barely to mix 
in the powder ; bake immediately. 

Eggs should be beaten, whites and yolks seperately — the Dover egg- 
beater is the best instrument for this purpose, in the market ; if you do 
not possess one, beat the eggs in a platter with a tin whisk or sharp knife, 
until it is as firm as snow and cuts clear and 'smooth. Beat the yolks in 
an earthenware bowl until they cease to froth, and thicken as if mixed 
with flour. Have the dishes cool. It is impossible to beat whites stiff" 
in a warm room. It facilitates the work more than one-half if two can 
give their time, — one to stir without ceasing, and the other to measure, 
beat eggs, and add ingredients in their order, besides ensuring a finer 
quality, and giving the ladies a chance to whet their ideas in that direc- 
tion, which they will never lose. There is an interest about cake baking 
which makes a woman chatty if she has an agreeable helper. We have 
known neighbors to exchange where there was only one woman in the 
houshold. Indeed, we have a distinct recollection of doing so ourselves 
upon a few extra occasions, and getting any amount of fun out of sim- 
ply — baking cake. Cake should rise to its full height before the crust 
forms. If it hardens too fast on the top, cover with paper. Move gently 
and keep the oven closed as much as possible. All loaf-cakes require a 
gentle heat to give time for rising, and a longer time than is generally 
given for baking. Try with a broom straw, if it comes out clean the 
cake is done. 

Icing. — Whites of four eggs, one pound powdered sugar ; lemon, 
vanilla, or other flavoring. Break the whites into a cool dish, throw a 
handful of sugar upon them, and begin beating. A few minutes later, 
throw in more sugar, and keep adding it at intervals until it is all used 
up. Beat until the icing is of a smooth, fine and firm texture. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 97 

Plain Cake. — Three-fourths of a cup of butter, one cup sweet milk, 
two cups sugar, three eggs, three cups flour, two teaspoons baking pow- 
der. Flavor to taste. 

Lemon Cake. — One cup butter, three cups sugar, five eggs, four cups 
flour, one cup sweet milk, one lemon, one teaspoon of soda. 

Pound Cake. — Four and one-half cups flour, three and one-half cups 
sugar, two cups butter, eight eggs. 

Corn Starch Cake. — Two cups sugar, two cups flour, one cup corn 
starch (sifted with the flour), one cup butter, one cup sweet milk, two 
even teagpoonfuls baking powder. Whites of eight eggs beaten to a stiff 
froth and added the last thing. Flavor with bitter almond. This cake 
requires great care in baking. It should bake about an hour in a slow 
oven. 

Plain Sponge Cake. — One teacup pulverized sugar, three eggs, one 
teacup flour, one even teaspoon baking powder. Flavor with lemon — 
half the juice and half the rind of one. Bake twenty minutes in shal- 
low tins. 

Snow Cake. — One tumbler of flour, one and one-half tumblers pul- 
verized sugar, one-half teaspoon cream tartar, and a pinch of soda. Mix 
the above thoroughly and sift into a bowl. Beat the whites of ten eggs 
with one spoonful of vanilla to a stiff froth, and pour over the flour, 
mixing as lightly as possible. Bake in a moderate oven. 

Marble Cake. — Light Fart — Whites of seven eggs, one and one- 
half cups white sugar, one cup butter, one-half cup sweet milk, three 
and one half cups flour, two teaspoons baking powder. Darh Part — 
Yolks seven eggs, one and one-half cups brown sugar, one cup butter, 
one-half cup coffee, one nutmeg, one tablespoon alspice, one tablespoon 
cloves, two tablespoons cinnamon, two and one-half cups flour, two table- 
spoons baking powde-r. Put in the pan either alternate layers or spoon- 
fuls of the light and dark. 

Coffee Cake. — Three and one-half cups flour, one cup molasses, one 
cup brown sugar, two-thirds of a cup of butter, one cup strong coffee, 
one pound or more raisins, one-fourth of a pound of citron, one teaspoon 



98 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, one teaspoon of soda. Bake 
slowly. 

Nut Cake. — Two cups sugar, one cup butter, three cups flour, one 
cup cold water, four eggs, two teaspoons baking powder, two cupsful 
kernels of hickory nuts, carefully picked out, added last of all. 

Chocolate Cake. — Two cups sugar, one cup butter, the yolks of five 
eggs and whites of two, one cup of milk,, three and one-half cups of 
flour, one-third teaspoon of soda, one teaspoon cream tartar sifted into 
the flour. Bake in jelly-cake tins. Filling: Whites of three eggs, 
one and one-half cups sugar, three tablespoonsful grated chocolate, one 
teaspoonful vanilla. Beat well together, spread between the layers and 
on top of cake. 

Caramel Cake. — Three cups sugar, one and a half cups butter, one 
cup milk, four and a half cups flour, five eggs, three teaspoons baking 
powder. Caramel for gilling: Two cups brown sugar, two-thirds of a 
cup of milk, one cup molasses, one teaspoonful butter, one tablespoon- 
ful flour, two tablespoonsful of cold water. Boil five minutes, add half 
a cake Baker's chocolate (grated), boil until it is the consistency of rich 
custard, add a pinch of soda, stir well and remove from the fire. When 
cold spread between the layers of cake, and set in an onen sunny window 
to dry. This quantity will make two large cakes. 

CocoANUT Cake. — Two cuj)s powdered sugar, one-half cup butter, 
three eggs, one cup milk, three cups flour, two teaspoons baking powder. 
Bake as for jelly-cake. Filling: One grated, cocoanut, or one and a 
half eups prepared cocoanut. To one-half of this add whites of three 
eggs, beaten to a froth, and one cup of powdered sugar. Lay this be- 
tween the layers. Mix with the other half four tablespoons powdered 
sugar, and spread thickly on top of the cake 

Black or Wedding Cake. — One pound powdered sugar, one pound 
butter, one pound flour, twelve eggs, one pound currants well washed 
and dredged, one pound raisins seeded and chopped, one-half pound cit- 
ron cut into slips, one tablespoonful cinnamon, two tablesponsful nutmeg, 
one tablespoonful cloves, one wineglass brandy. Cream the butter and 
sugar, add the beaten yolks of the eggs, and stir well together before 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 99 

putting in half the flour. The spices should come next, then the whipped 
whites stirred in alternately with the rest of the flour; lastly the brandy. 
The above quantity is for two large cakes. The icing should be laid on 
stiff and thickly. This cake, if kept in a cool, dry place, will not spoil 
in two months. Test the cakes well and be sure they are quite done be- 
fore taking from the oven. — Marion Harland. 

Cookies. — Sift together three pints of flour, two heaping teaspoons 
of baking powder, and half a teaspoon fine salt ; rub into this one tea- 
cup of butter, or lard and butter together; rub until it is thoroughly 
mixed, then work in two teacups of sugar, — granulated is best — now 
moisten with four eggs, yolks and whites beaten separately. If not stiff 
enough to mould, work in more flour, roll thin, and 'bake in hot oven. 
When eggs are scarce, they are almost as good if you break an egg into 
a teacup and fill up the same with water for moistening. 

Ginger Cookies. — One cup of sugar, one cup of molasses, one cup 
of butter and lard mixed, one tablespoon of ginger, one teaspoon of 
soda and a little salt. Heat sugar, molasses, butter, and lard to boiling, 
stir in ginger and soda while hot, mix rather stiff and cool thin. Bake 
in a quick oven. 

PIES. 

In making paste, use ice water. Have the lard and butter cold and 
hard. Do not knead the dough, but mix it as lightly as possible. For 
two pies, take two large cups of flour, one-half cup of water, a half cup 
of butter, a half cup of lard and a little salt. If you do not want a rich 
crust, sift an even teaspoonful of baking powder in the flour and leave 
out one-third of the shortening. 

Custard I*ie. — Line your pie dish with a rich crust, and make the 
custard with one and one-half pints of new milk, two eggs beaten very 
light, two-thirds of a cup of white sugar, a pinch of salt, flavor to taste, 
bake in a moderate oven. 

Mince Pie. — Four pounds of beef, boiled in salted water till very 
tender, and when cold, chopped fine; eight pounds of currants, three 
pounds of raisins, two pounds of citron, six pounds of sugar, a fourth of 
m ouoce of cloves, the eajne of allspice, one ounce of pinnamon, nut- 



100 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

megs and orange peel grated, moisten with sweet cider; if you can't get 
cider use three pints of good vinegar, with enough water to moisten. 

Apple Pie. — Pare, core and slice ripe tart apples, line your pie-tin 
with a good crust, put in a layer of fruit, then sprinkle in half a tea cup 
of sugar, strew bits of butter over, and season with any spice you choose? 
or leave plain; then lay on apples until the tin is a little more than even 
full; add half a gill of water, moisten the edge of the under crust with 
thick paste made with cold water and flour, lay over the upper crust and 
press gently all round before cutting off the edge; bake well. 

Make pieplant pies just the same, except to double the quantity of 
sugar, and leave out the water. 

Lemon Pie. — -Take one lemon, roll under the hand until soft, to break 
the cells, grate the rind and squeeze out the juice, add the yolks of two 
eggs beaten with half a cup of sugar and third of a cup of flour or corn 
starch, butter half the size of an egg; beat till it foams, add water to 
fill one pie, put in a small pinch of salt, bake with one crust, like custard 
pie. When the pie is almost done, make a frosting of the whites of 
two eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, with half a cup of sugar, spread over the 
top; return the pie to- the oven till it is a light brown. We think this 
one of the very best pies made. 

PUDDINGS. 

Rice Pudding. — One teacup of rice, two quarts of milk, one cup of 
sugar, butter the size of an egg, a teaspoonful of salt and a cup of rai- 
sins. Bake slowly three hours, stirring frequently at first. 

Bread Pudding. — ^Put in your pudding dish one pint of broken bread, 
pour over it a pint of milk, set where it will warm to soften the bread 
while you beat two eggs — be sure they are beaten light — then with a 
spoon or fork crumble the bread quite fine by pressing against the side 
of the dish, add another pint of milk, three-fourths of a teacupful of 
sugar, a pinch of salt, butter to taste, and put it in the oven, stir two or 
three times, at intervals of ten minutes from putting in the oven. A 
light frosting made with the white of an egg and a heaping tablespoon- 
ful of granulated sugar, improves it. Fruit, jelly or an acid Bauce to 
serve^^with it is also very nice. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 101 

Berry Pudding. — Stew a quart of blueberries and whortleberries; 
sweeten to taste. Take stale bread, and butter each piece; immerse each 
piece in the berries, and lay in a pudding-dish first a layer of bread, then 
a layer of berries, taking care to have the last layer one of berries. 
To be eaten cold, with cream and sugar. 

Blackberry Pudding. — One pint of sweet milk, two well-beaten 
eggs, a little salt, one-half teaspoonful cream tartar sifted in the flour, 
enough sifted flour to make a stiff batter, one pint of blackberries well 
dredged with flour. Boil for one hour in a buttered mould or floured 
bag. 

Canned Peach Pudding. — Soak one pint of picked and washed tapi- 
oca in three pints of boiling water, letting it stand three hours, then 
place in a glass fruit can a layer of sliced peaches, with sugar enough to 
sweeten them, then a layer of the soaked tapioca, adding alternate layers 
until the can or cans are filled. Then set a kettle two-thirds the depth 
of water, and then boil half an hour; take out and seal precisely as you 
would any canned fruit. These will be very convenient in case of any 
accident happening to your dessert, or of any unexpected arrival of com- 
pany too late to cook a dessert, or in case any refreshments are wanted 
at an unusual hour, and nothing is cooked. Serve cold, or put into boil- 
ing water and heat to the boiling point. 

Baked Apple Dumplings.^— One pint of flour, one tablespoonful of 
lard and butter mixed, one cup of milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda dis- 
solved in hot water, one of cream of tartar, a pinch of salt. Chop the 
shortening into the flour; after you have sifted this and the cream tartar 
together, put in the soda and wet up quickly with the milk — ^just stiff 
enough to roll into a paste less than half an inch thick. Cut into squares 
and lay in the center of each a tart apple, pared and cored; bring the 
corners of the square neatly together, and pinch slightly. Bake in a 
moderate oven; eat with hot, sweet sauce. 

Apple Puffets. — The following recipe for a plain dessert we have 
tried and find very nice, Two eggs, one pint of milk, sufficient flour to 
thicken as waffle batter, one and one-half teaspooonfuls of baking pow- 
der; fill teacups alternately with a layer of batter and^then^of apples 



102 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

chopped fine; steam one hour;serve tot with flavored cream and sugar. 
You can substitute any fresh fruit or jams you like. 

Oatmeal Mush. — As a general rule, the coarser the meal the better 
the rnush. The meal in which the kernels are barely broken in two once, 
is next in quality to the groats, which are not broken at all. Pour one 
measure of this coarse oatmeal into three and one-half measures of boil- 
ing water. Stir occasionally, and boil briskly until the meal is evenly 
diffused through the water, then set the kettle back where it will barely 
simmer; cover close and let it cook an hour without stirring. Then dish 
and serve warm. This makes a nice dessert with good cream and sugar. 

Preserves and Fruit Jellies. 

Use none but porcelain, or good bell-metal kettles for preserves and 
jellies. If the latter, clean thoroughly just before you put in the syrup 
or fruit. Scour with sand, then set it over the fire, with a cupful of 
vinegar and large handful of salt in it. Let this come to a boil, and 
scour the whole inside of the kettle with it. Do not let your preserves 
or anything else stand one moment in it after it is withdrawn from the 
fire ; fill the emptied kettle instantly with water and wash it perfectly 
clean, although you may mean to return the syrup to it again in five 
minutes. By observing these precautions, preserves and pickles made 
in bell-metal may be rendered as good and wholesome as if the frailer 
porcelain be used. 

Use only fine sugar for nice preserves. Moist or dark sugar cannot be 
made to produce the same effect as dry white. 

Do not hurry any needful step in the process of preserving. Prepare 
your fruit with care, weigh accurately, and allow time enough to do your 
work well. Put up the preserves in small jars in preference to large, 
and, when on^e made, keep them in a cool, dark closet that is perfectly 
dry. Keep jellies in small stone china jars, or glass tumblers closely 
covered. You can procure at most china and glass stores, or house- 
furnishing estabHshments, metal covers with elastic rims for these, 
which can be used from year to year. 

Cover jellies and jams with tissue paper, double and wet with brandy, 
pressed closely te the conBerve before you put on the Jid, or paste oa 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 103 

the thick paper. Examine your shelves frequently and narrowly for a 
few weeks to see if your preserves are keeping well. If there is the 
least sign of fermentation, boil them over, adding more sugar. 

If jellies are not so firm after six or eight hours as you would have 
them, set them in the sun, with bits of window glass over them to keep 
out the dust and insects. Remove them at night and wipe off the 
moisture collected on the under sides. Repeat this every day until the 
jelly shrinks into firmness, filling up one cup from another as need 
requires. This method is far preferable to boiling down, which both 
injures the flavor and darkens the jelly. 

Preserved Peaches. — Weigh the fruit after it is pared and the 
stones extracted, and allow a pound of sugar to every one of peaches. 
Crack one-quarter of the stones, extract the kernels, break them to 
pieces and boil in just enough water to cover them, until soft, when set 
aside to steep in a covered vessel. Put a layer of sugar at the bottom 
of the kettle, then one of fruit, and so on until you have used up all of 
both ; set it where it will warm slowly until the sugar is melted and the 
fruit hot through. Then stain the kernel-water and add it. Boil 
steadily until the peaches are tender and clear. Take them out with a 
perforated skimmer and lay upon large flat dishes, crowding as little as 
possible. Boil the syrup almost to a jelly — that is, until clear and thick, 
skimming off all the scum. Fill your jars two-thirds full of the 
peaches, pour on the boiling syrup, and, when cold, co\'er with brandy 
tissue-paper, then with thick cloth lastly with thick paper tied tightly 
over them The peaches should be ready to take off after half an hour's 
boiling ; the syrup be boiled fifteen minutes longer, fast, and often 
stirred, to throw up the scum. A few slices of pineapple cut up with 
the peaches flavor them finely. 

Preserving Crab- Apples. — The red Siberian crab is best for this 
purpose. Pick out these that are nearly perfect, leaving the stems on, 
and put into a preserve-kettle, with enough warm water to cover them, 
heat this to boiling, slowly, and simmer until the skins break. Drain, 
cool, and skin them ; then, with a penknife, extract the cores through 
the blossom ends. Weigh them ; allow a pound and a quarter of sugar 
and a teacupf ul of water to every pound of fruit Boil the water and 



104 THE HOMESTEAD^MANTJAL. 

sugar together until the scum ceases to rise ; put in the fruit, cover the 
kettle, and simmer until the apples are clear red, and tender. Take out 
with a skimmer ; spread upon dishes to cool and harden ; add to the 
syrup the juice of one lemon to three pounds of fruit, and boil until 
clear and rich. Fill your jars three quarters full of the apples, pour 
the syrup in, and, when cool, tie up. 

Preserved Cherries. — Stone the cherries, preserving every drop of 
juice. Weigh the fruit, allowing pound for pound of sugar. Put a 
layer of fruit for one of sugar until all is used up ; pour over the juice 
and boil gently until the syrup begins to thicken. The short-stem red 
cherries, or the Morellos are best for preserves. Sweet cherries will not 
do. 

Preserved Strawberries. — Pound for pound of sugar. Put them in a 
preserving kettle over a slow fire until the sugar melts. Boil twenty-five 
minutes, fast. Take out the fruit in perforated skimmer and fill a 
number of small cans three-quarters full. Boil and skim the syrup five 
minutes longer, fill up the jars, and seal while hot. Keep in a cool, dry 
place. 

Raspberry and Currant Jelly. — To two parts red raspberries or 
black caps, put one of red currants, and proceed the same as with other 

jelly. 

Wild Cherry and Currant Jelly. — Two thirds wild cherries 
(stones and all) and one of red currants, a pound of sugar to a pint of 
juice and make as you do plain currant jelly. 

Currant, Blackberry and Strawberry Jellies. — Put the fruit 
into a stone jar; set this in a kettle of tepid water, and put it upon the fire. 
Let it boil, closely covered, until the fruit is broken to pieces, strain, 
pressing the bag (a stout coarse one) hard, putting in but a few handfuls 
at a time, and between each squeezing turning it iuside out to scald off 
the pulp and skins. To each pint of juice allow a pound of sugar. Set 
the juice on alone to boil, and while it is warming ^divide the sugar into 
several different portions, and put into pie-dishes or pans that will fit in 
your ovens; heat in these, opening the ovens now and then to stir it and 
prevent burning. Boil the juice twenty minutes from the moment.it 
begins fairly to boil. By this sime the sugar should be be so hot you 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 105 

cannot bear your hand in it. Should it melt around the edges, do not 
be alarmed. The burned parts will only form into lumps in the syrup, 
and can be easily taken out. Throw the sugar into the boiling juice, 
stirring rapidly all the while. It will " hiss" as it falls in, and melt very 
quickly. Withdraw your spoon when you are sure it is dissolved. Let 
the jelly just come to a boil, to make all certain, and take the kettle 
instantly from the fire. Roll your glasses or cups in hot water, and fill 
with the scalding liquid. Be sure and follow directions. 

JAM. 

Raspberry Jam. — One pound of sugar to each pound of berries, 
and nearly a pint of currant juice. Put the sugar and berries together 
in a pan over the fire and with a potato masher or wooden spoon keep 
stirring them constantly to prevent burning. When they are well 
mashed, add the currant-juice and boil briskly, still stirring it carefully. 
Just before it boils skim it well. Let it boil about three quarters of an 
hour to bring it to the right consistency. It is best to put it in cups, 
bowls or fruit jars, as it does not keep so well after being disturbed. 
Cover the cups with firm paper varnished with the white of an egg, and 
pressed closely around over the edges of the cups. Jam should be kept 
in a cool dry place. 

Strawberry Jam. — For every pound of fruit three-quarters of a 
pound of sugar; one pint currant juice to every four pounds of straw- 
beries. Boil the juice of the currants with strawberries half an hour, 
stirring all the time. Add to the sugar when you have dipped out nearly 
all the juice, leaving the fruit quite dry, and boil up rapidly for about 
twenty minutes, skimming carefully. Put in small jars, with brandied 
tissue paper over the top. You can omit the currant juice, but the 
flavor will not be so fine. 

MARMALADE. 

Peach. — Pare, stone and weigh the fruit; heat slowly to draw out the 
juice, stirring often with a wooden spoon. After it is hot, boil quickly, 
still stirring, three-fourths of an hour; add then the sugar, allowing three 
fourths of a pound to every pound of fruit. Boil up well for five min- 



106 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

utes, taking off every particle of scum. Add the juice of one lemon to 
ev^ry three pounds of fruit, and the water in which one-fourth of the 
peach kernels have been boiled and steeped. Stew altogether for ten 
minutes more, stirring to a smooth paste. Put it up hot in air-tight cans, 
or if you prefer to put it up in glass jars, put it in them when nearly 
cold, and put white paper over the top of each jar. 

Canned Fruits and Vegetables. 

First, examine cans and elastics narrowly before you begin operations. 
See that the screw is in order, the can without a crack or nick, the 
elastic firm and closely fitting. Secondly, have the fruit boiling hot 
when sealed. Have upon the range or stove a pan in which each empty 
can is set to be filled after it is rolled in hot water. Lay elastic and top 
close to your hand, fill the can to overflowing, remembering that the 
fruit will shrink as it cools, and that a vacuum invites the air to enter; 
clap on the top without the loss of a second, screw as tightly as you can, 
and as the contents and the can cool, screw again and again to fit the 
contraction of metal and glass. Thirdly, if you use glass cans (and^ they 
are the cheapest in the end, for you can use them year after vear, get- 
ting new elastics when you need them) keep them in a cool, dark place, 
and dry as well as cool. The light will cause them to ferment, and also 
change the color. 

Canned Berries. — Heat slowly to boiling, in a large kettle. When 
they begin to boil, add sugar in the proportion of one tablespoonful to 
each quart of fruit. Boil all together fifteen minutes, and can/ Huck- 
leberries, grapes, blackberries, currants, raspberries, cherries, and straw- 
berries put up in this way are very good, eaten as you would preserves, 
and make pies which are scarcely inferior to those filled with fresh fruit. 

Canned Plums. — Prick with a needle to prevent bursting; prepare a 
syrup allowing a gill of pure water and a quarter of a pound of sugar 
to every three quarts of fruit. When the sugar is dissolved and the 
water blood-warm, put in the plums. Heat slowly to a boil. Let them 
boil five minutes — not fast or they will break badly, fill up the jars with 
plums, pour in the scalding syrup until it runs down the sides, and seal. 
Greengages are very fine put up in this way; also damsons for pies. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 107 

Canned Tomatoes. — Pour boiling water over the tomatoes to loosen 
the skins. Remove these; drain off all the juice that will come away 
without pressing hard; put them into a kettle and heat slowly to a boil. 
Your tomatoes will look much nicer if you remove all the hard parts 
before putting them on the fire, and rub the pulp soft with your hands. 
Boil ten minutes, dip out the surplus liquid, pour the tomatoes, boiling 
hot, into the cans, and seal. Keep in a cool, dark place. 

Canned Tomatoes and Corn. — Boil the corn on the cob, when it is 
in order for roasting, twenty minutes over a good fire, and cut off while 
hot. Have your tomatoes skinned and rubbed to a smooth pulp. Put 
in two measures of them for every one of the cut corn; salt as for the 
table, stirring it well in, and bring to a hard boil. Then, can quickly, 
and as soon as they sre cold set away in a cool, dark place. 

Self-Freezing lee-Cream. 

1 quart rich milk. 8 eggs — whites and yolks beaten separately and 
very light. 4 cups sugar. 3 pints rich sweet cream. 5 teaspoonfuls 
vanilla or other flavoring, or 1 vanilla bean, broken in two, boiled in the 
custard, and left in until it is cold. 

Heat the milk almost to boiling, beat the eggs light, add the sugar, 
and stir up well. Pour the hot milk to this, little by little, beating all 
the while, and return to the fire — boiling in a pail or sauce pan set within 
one of hot water. Stir the mixture steadily about fifteen minutes, or 
until it is thick as boiled custard. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool. 
When quite cold, beat in the cream and the flavoring, unless you have 
used the bean. 

Have ready a quantity of ice, cracked in pieces not larger than a 
pigeon egg — the smaller the better. You can manage this easily by 
laying a great lump of ice between two folds of coarse sacking or an old 
carpet, tucking it in snugly, and battering it, through the cloth, with a 
sledge-hammer or mallet until fine enough. There is no waste of ice, 
nor need you take it in your hands 'at all — only gather up the corners of 
the carpet or cloth, and slide as much as you want into the outer vessel. 
Use an ordinary old-fashioned upright freezer, set in a deep pail ; pack 
around it closely, first, a layer of pounded ice, then one of rock salt — 



108 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

common salt will not do as well. In this order fill the pail ; but before 
covering the freezer-lid, remove it carefully that none of the salt may 
get in, and, with a long wooden ladle or flat stick (1 had one made on 
purpose), beat the custard as you would batter, for five minutes, without 
stay or stint. Replace the lid, pack the ice and salt upon it, patting it 
down hard on top ; cover all with several folds of blanket or carpet, and 
leave it for one hour. Then remove the cover of the freezer when you 
have wiped it carefully outside. You will find within a thick coating of 
frozen custard upon the bottom and sides. Dislodge this with your ladle, 
which should be thin at the lower end, or with a long carving-lcnife, 
working every particle of it clear. Beat again hard and long until the 
custard is a smooth, half-congealed paste. The smoothness of the ice- 
cream depends upon your action at this juncture. Pat on the cover, 
pack in more ice and salt, and turn oif the brine. Spread the double 
carpet over all once more, having buried the freezer out of sight in ice, 
and leave it for three or four hours. Then if the water has accumulated 
in such quantity as to buoy up the freezer, pour it ofl", fill up with ice 
and salt, but do not open the freezer. In two hours more you may take 
it from the ice, open it, wrap a towel, wrung out in boiling water, about 
the lower part, and turn out a solid column of cream, firm, close-grained, 
and smooth as velvet to the tongue. 

Should the ice melt very fast, you may have to turn ofi" the water 
more than twice ; but this will seldom happen except in very hot 
weather. 

Chocolate Ice-Cream. — 1 quart of cream. 1 pint new milk. 2 
cups sugar. 2 eggs beaten very light. 5 tablespoonfuls chocolate 
rubbed smooth in a little milk. 

Heat the milk almost to boiling, and pour, by degrees, in with the 
beaten egg and sugar. Stir in the chocolate, beat well three minutes, 
and return to the inner kettle. Heat until it thickens well, stirring con- 
stantly ; take from the fire and set aside to cool. Many think a little 
vanilla is an improvement. When the custard is cold, beat in the cream. 
Freeze. 

Coffee Ice-Cream. — 3 pints of cream. 1 cup of black coffee — very 
strong and clear. 2 cups sugar. 2 tablespoonfuls arrowroot, wet up 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 109 

with cold water. Heat half the cream nearly to boiling, stir in the 
sugar, and, when this is melted, the coffee ; then the arrowroot, 
boil all together five minutes, stirring constantly. When cold, beat up 
very light, whipping in the rest of the cream by degrees. Then freeze. 

Lemon Ice-Cream. — 1 quart cream. 2 lemons — the juice of one 
and the grated peel of one and a half. 2 cups of sugar. Sweeten the 
cream, beat the lemon gradually into it, and put at once into the freezer. 
Freeze rapidly in a patent freezer, or the acid is apt to turn the milk. 
You may make orange ice cream in the same way. 

Raspberry or Strawberry Ice-Cream. — 1 quart ripe sweet berries. 
1 lb. sugar. 1 quart fresh cream. Scatter half the sugar over the 
berries and let them stand three hours. Press and mash them, and 
strain them through a thin muslin bag. Add the rest of the sugar, and 
when dissolved beat in the sugar little by little. Freeze rapidly, opening 
the freezer (if it is not a patent one) several times to beat and stir. Or, 
You may have a pint of whole berries, unsugared, ready to stir in when 
the cream is frozen to the consistency of stiff mush. In this case add a 
cup more sugar to the quart of chrushed berries. 

Lemon Ice. — 6 lemons — juice of all, and grated peel of three. 1 
large sweet orange — juice and rind. 1 pint of water. 1 pint of sugar. 
Squeeze out every drop of juice, and steep in it the rind of orange and 
lemons one hour. Strain, squeezing the bag dry ; mix in the sugar, and 
then the water. Stir until dissolved, and freeze by turning in a freezer — 
opening three times to beat all up together. 

Orange Ice. — 6 oranges — juice of all, and grated peel of three. 2 
lemons — the juice only. 1 pint of sugar dissolved in 1 pint of water. 
Prepare and freeze as you would lemon ice. 

Currant and Raspberry Ice. — 1 quart red currants. 1 pint rasp- 
berries — a:'ed or black. 1 pint of water. 1-|- pint sugar. Squeeze out 
the juice ; mix in the sugar and water, and freeze. 

Strawberry or Raspberry Ice. — 1 quart berries. Extract the 
juice and strain. 1 pint sugar — dissolved in the juice. 1 lemon — ^juice 
only. -^ pint of water. 

DRINKS. 

Tea. — Tea varies so in strength that it is impossible to give an exact 



110 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

recipe for making it; every cook must be governed by her own judgment, 
after trying a new supply, and considering what degree of strength she 
desires in the tea. The teapot should be washed every day and 
thoroughly scalded. A good way to make tea is to put the desired quan- 
tity in the teapot, pour in just enough hot water to wet it, and set the 
teapot back where it will steep but not boil — for ten minutes — then bring 
forward to more heat, and add more water; boil gently five minutes, pour in 
the desired quantity of water and remove to the hearth to settle, which is 
almost as necessary as with coffee. 

Coffee. — The first requisite is good coffee, the next to have it nicely 
browned; this is best done in a hot oven. The person having charge of 
it should have no other "irons in the fire" at the time, else there may be 
blackened kernels, which will spoil it all. If the oven has the proper 
heat, twenty or thirty minutes is long enough to do the work. When 
almost done put in a bit of butter the size of a hickory nut and stir well 
through, then give it another minute or two in the oven; it should be put 
into a tin canister or other tight covered vessel at once. Brown coffee 
loses strength by exposure as readily as tea. Soft water is best for both 
tea and coffee if you can have it pure. Coffee left over should not be 
allowed to stand in the coffeepot, but poured off into a pitcher kept for 
the purpose, and may be added to the next morning's coffee. The coffee- 
pot should be as carefully cleaned as a milk pan. 

To Make Coffee. — G-rind fine one teacupful of whole coffee, into a 
bowl, add half of an egg, cold water enough to moisten, mix well, scald 
the coffeepot, put in two quarts of cold water, saving half a teacupful to 
settle it with, put in the coffee and set the pot on the stove; manage to 
have it boil two or three minutes before wanted for the table, pour in 
the half teacupful of cold water and set back to settle, but don't let it 
cool, and do not pour off into another coffeepot. 

Chocolate. — Six tablespoons of grated chocolate to each pint of water 
as much milk as you have water and sweeten to taste. Put in the water 
boiling hot. Kub the chocolate smooth in a little cold water. Boil 
twenty minutes; add the milk and boil ten minutes more, stirring fre- 
quently. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. Ill 

MISCELLANEOUS COOKERY, RECIPES, ETC. 

Corned. Beef. 

Beef pickled and cooked after the following recipe makes the most 
delicious dish of the kind we have ever tasted, and it is with pleasure 
that we give it to our readers. Four gallons of water, one and one-half 
pounds of sugar or molasses, two ounces of saltpetre, six pounds of 
rock salt or pure common salt. If it is to last more than three months, 
or through summer, use nine pounds of salt. Boil all together gently 
and skim. Have the beef or tongues closely packed in the vessels in 
which they are to remain, and pour the pickle over while boiling hot. 
Pour on enough to cover the meat well, and place a weight upon it. 
The meat will be fit for use in ten days. The same pickle may be used 
the second time by adding about one-third of the ingredients and heat- 
ing it again. The meat can remain in the pickle any length of time 
when six pounds of salt is used without becoming too salt. If nine 
pounds are used the meat may need to be freshened before boiling it. 
This pickle is sufficient for 100 pounds of beef if properly packed. 
When the meat is to be cooked, cover it with boiling water and simmer 
gently till it is tender. The usual allowance of time in cooking corned 
beef is three-quarters of an hour to the pound. Let it cool in the 
water in which it is boiled, slice thin and serve. Bock salt is recom- 
mended, as ordinary salt is often adulterated with lime, which will spoil 
meat of any kind. 

Cblcken Salad. 

Take the meat from a pair of boiled chickens. Chicken, as well as 
celery, should be cut as large as a cranberry. Have equal quantities of 
chopped chicken and celery. Take a level tablespoonful of dry mustard 
and rub it very smooth with the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs, and the 
yolks of two raw eggs. Then pour on very slowly, stirring all the time, 
one-third of a bottle of salad oil alternating with the juice of one large 
lemon, or two smaller ones ; then add a large tablespoonful of salt and 
jbhen add two or three tablespoonfuls of rich cream. Just before serv- 
ing, mix the chicken well through this dressing ; then add the celery. 
You may garnish the top with the tender leaves of the celery, very thin 



112 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

slices of lemon, a few capers here and there, and half a dozen stoned 
olives. Some add half a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper to the dressing, 
while others object to it. 

!>ressiiig for Saudi^iriclies. 

One half pound butter, two tablespoons mixed mustard (one spoonful 

of common mustard will do), three tablespoons thick sweet cream, a little 

red or black pepper, yolk of one egg. Warm the butter and beat all 

together; when cool spread bread with the dressing, and then put in ham 

chopped fine. 

To Keep Sausage Meat. 

Instead of the usual casing, it answers very well to sew cotton into 
long narrow bags — say ten inches long, and then strip before sewing to- 
gether eight inches wide. Stuff this tightly with the meat; tie both 
ends, and dip in cooked clear starch; hang up to dry; keep in a cool, dry 

place. 

Olilele Sauce. 

Take five large onions, eight green peppers, chop fine — thirty ripe to- 
matoes, cut up, five tablespoonfuls sugar, three of salt, eight cups of 
vinegar, and boil all together two and a half hours, and bottle for use. 

Cucumber Pickles. 

Soak the cucumbers two days in a weak solution of salt and water, 
one teacupful, and a lump of alum the size of a hickory nut, for a three 
gallon jar of cucumbers. Then cover them with boiling vinegar and let 
it remain two days ; then put them in jars with whole spices scattered 
among them and some horseradish cut in long shreds, and some white 
mustard. Cover with new vinegar, boiling hot, and sweetened in the 
proportion of a teacup of sugar to each gallon of vinegar. The vinegar 
in which the pickles are kept one year, will do for the first vinegar the 
next. Before pouring in the last vinegar cover with horseradish leaves, 
three deep, and leave them on. 

Baking Poi«rder. 

Six, ounces tartaric acid, eight ounces bi-carbonate soda, one quart 
flour Mix well and sift several times. Keep in tight cans. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. Il3 

I BAKED APPIiElS. 

Pare the apples and remove the core; this can be done by turning a 
pointed knife round and round, thus boring out the core; fill the hole 
with sugar, put a very little butter on each one, pour half a teacup of 
water in the pan and bake in a pretty hot oven, turn them and change 
about to prevent browning too much and add a little water if necessary, 
to have juice in the pan when done. 

Another Way. — This is especially good with late keeping apples, 
like the Ben Davis, which lose much of their acid and juiciness toward 
spring, being a little overripe. Bore out the cores as in the above, but 
do not pare; fill the cavity with sugar, and dip one teaspoonful of cider 
vinegar into each place; add water to give a teacup of juice when done; 
lay the apples on a platter and pour the juice over them and then 
sprinkle lightly with sugar, and you have a pretty addition to any meal." 

Tomato Fig««. 

Take six pounds of sugar to sixteen pounds of tomatoes; scald and 
remove the skin in the usual way, cook them together slowly till the to- 
matoes are clarified; take them out and spread on earthen plates, flatten 
and dry them in the sun and add a little ^syrup to each one as they dry 
out when all is evaporated, after which pack in boxes and sprinkle pow- 
dered sugar between the layers. 

Tincture. 

Lemon and Orange Tincture. — Never throw away lemon or orange 
peel; cut the yellow outside off carefully, and put it into a tightly corked 
bottle, with enough alcohol to cover it. Let it stand until the alcohol 
is a bright yellow; then pour it off, bottle it tight, and use it for flavor- 
ing. Add lemon and alcohol as often as you have it, and you will always 
have a nice flavoring. 

Vinegar. 

The surest way to procure pure cider vinegar is to make it at home. 
You will find it an easy matter to save all the parings, for this purpose. 
Put the parings in a stone jar, and add just enough warm water to wet 
them thoroughly. Cover with a coarse piece of muslin and get in a 



114 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

warm place until fermentation begins. Then strain — first through a 
coarse seive (this will remove the skins), then through a piece of towel- 
ing. After this has settled, drain it off into a stone jug. Tie a coarse 
cloth over the mouth, to keep out insects without keeping out the air. 
Stand in the kitchen, near the stove, until sour enough for use. Set in 
a cool place, and almost before you are aware of it, you are well supplied 
with good vinegar without its having cost anything except a little labor. 

Gooseberry. — To every gallon of water put one quart of full-ripe 
gooseberries. Boil the water first, and let it stand till quite cold ; then 
crush the fruit with a wooden spoon, and add it to the water. Let it 
stand covered over for five days in a cool place, stirring it twice every 
day ; strain it at the expiration of the five days through a hair-sieve into 
a cask, and to every gallon of liquor add 1^ lbs. of moist sugar. When 
it has stood for six months, bottle it. 

Wine and Cider. — Take a clean oaken-barrel, wine- cask, place it in 
a warm room ; if in the summer time, in a hot place, where the sun 
will strike on it ; put in one, two or more gallons of clear fermented 
cider ; leave the bung out, so that the air may have free circulation. In 
two or three weeks it will be fit for use. Cider may then be added, from 
time to time, in small quantities, taking care that.no larger quantity of 
it be added at any one time than there is vinegar in the cask. 

CLEANING AND SCOURING. 

The common method of cleaning cloth is by beating and brushing, 
unless when very dirty, when it undergoes the operation of scouring. 
This is best done on the small scale, as for articles of wearing apparel, 
etc., by dissolving a little curd soap in water, and, after mixing it with 
a little ox-gall, to touch over all the spots of grease, dirt, etc., with it 
and to rub them well with a stiff brush until they are removed, after 
which the article may be well rubbed all over with a brush or sponge 
dipped into some warm water, to which the previous mixture and a little 
more ox-gall has been added. When this has been properly done, it only 
remains to thoroughly rinse the article in clean water until the latter 
passes off uncolored, when it must be hung up to dry. For dark colored 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 115 

cloths the common practice is to add some fuller's-earth to the mixture 
of soap and gall. When nearly dry the nap should be laid right, and 
the article carefully pressed, after which a brush, moistened with a drop 
or two of olive oil, is parsed several times over it, which will give it a 
superior finish. Cloth may also be cleaned in the dry way as follows: 
First, remove the spots, as above, and when the parts have dried strew 
clean, damp sand over it and beat it in with a brush, after which brush 
the article with a hard brush, when the sand will readily come out and 
bring the dirt with it. Black cloth which is very rusty, should receive 
a coat of reviver after drying, and be hung up until the next day, when 
it may be pressed and finished off as before. Scarlet cloth requires con- 
siderable caution. After being thoroughly rinsed, it should be repeatedly 
passed through goYS. spring water to which a table spoonfull or two of 
solution of tin has been added. If much faded it should be dipped in a 
scarlet dye-bath. Buff chth is generally cleaned by covering it with a 
paste made with pipe-clay and water, which, when dry, is rubbed and 
brushed off. 

Renovation of Cloth. — The article undergoes the process of scour- 
ing Defore described, and, after being well rinsed and drained, it is put 
on a board, and the threadbare parts rubbed with a half -worn hatter's 
card filled with flocks, or with a teazle, or a prickly thistle, until a nap 
is raised. It is next hung up to dry, the nap laid the right way with a 
hard brush, and finished as before. When the cloth is much faded it is 
usual to give it a dip, as it is called, or to pass it through a dye-bath, to 

freshen up the color. 

Uses for Anunonia. 

No housekeeper should be without a bottle of aqua ammonia, for aside 
from its medical porperties, it is valuable for household purposes. It is 
nearly as useful as soap, and its cheapness brings it within the reach of 
all. Put a teaspoonful of ammonia in a quart of warm soap-suds, dip a 
cloth in it and go over your soiled paint and see how rapidly the dirt 
will disappear; no scrubbing will be necessary; it will cleanse and also 
brighten it wonderfully. To a pint of* hot suds add a teaspoonful of the 
ammonia, dip in your forks and spoons, rub with a soft brush and finish 
with chamois skin. For washing windows and mirrors it is also very 



116 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

good. It will remove grease from every fabric and not injure the gar- 
ment. Put on the ammonia nearly clear; lay blotting paper over, and 
set a hot iron on for a moment. Also a few drops in water will cleanse 
and whiten muslins beautifully. A few drops in a bowl of water, if the 
skin be oily, will remove all greasiness and disagreeable odors. Added 
to a foot bath it absorbs all obnoxious smells; and nothing is better to 
remove dandruif from the hair. For cleaning hair and nail brushes it is 
equally good. 

For heartburn and dyspepsia it is especially prepared; ten drops of it 
taken in a wineglass of water will give relief. 

For house plants, five or six drops to every pint of water, once each 

week, will make them flourish. It is also good to cleanse plant jars. 

So be sure and keep a bottle of it in the house, and have a glass stopper 

as it eats corks. 

Waslting. 

Take five pounds of sal soda, one pound of borax, one pound of fresh 
unslacked lime ; dissolve the soda and borax in one gallon of boiling 
water, and slack the lime in the same quantity of boiling water. 
Then pour them both into eight gallons of water; stir a few 
times and let it stand 'till morning, when the clear fluid should be 
drawn off" and kept ready for use. One quart of this compound, with 
three pounds of good bar soap, cut fine, and two pounds of sal soda 
boiled in three gallons of water for ten minutes, will give four gallons 
of splendid soft soap. Directions for use : Select from the clothes to be 
washed the coarse from the fine, put them separately to soak over night. 
In the morning, add half a pint of compound, half a pint of soft soap 
to four gallons of hot water ; after wringing out of the cold water, put 
them into the hot water and cover for ten minutes. Put some mixture 
in boiler, wring out, suds, hang out to dry. No rubbing necessary. 

Washing Nice Lace Edgings. — Cover the outside of a large glass 
bottle smoothly with soft white cotton, linen or flannel. Wrap the lace 
round it, basting each edge carefully with very fine thead. Fasten a 
piece of thin muslin or net over the outside of the lace. Soak the 
bottle in tepid water for an hour or two, then wash in soap suds until 
clean, after which lay in clean water for twelve hours, changing it once 



*THE"'hOME STEAD MANUAL. 117 

or twice during that^time. To finish take it from the water and dry by 
wrapping in a towel, then dip the bottle into rice water and roll it in a 
fresh towel. While still damp take the lace carefully from the bottle 
and placing it between clean white cloths, iron until completely dry. 

How TO DO UP Shirts. — A lady gives the following in the the Ohio 
Farmer: To three tablespoonfuls of common starch, well boiled in a 
quart of water, add a lump of lard the size of a pea, a tablespoonful of 
loaf sugar and a little salt. Let it cool until you can use it without 
burning your h*nds. When the clothes are thoroughly dry dampen 
your shirts in a thin, cold starch ; roll them up and let them lay one hour 
before ironing. When ready to iron have a bowl of clean, cool water at 
hand, dip a clean handkerchief into it and wring it out dry ; then stretch 
the shirt over a shirt board, and with the dampened -handkerchief wipe 
off every particle of starch that appears on the surface, taking care 
always to wipe downward. Be careful not to have the iron too hot. 
the more pressure you use on the starched surface the finer polish you 
will got. I have done up shirts in this way for several years, and know 
that it w; il produce a polish equal to any laundry work. I forgot to men- 
tion in its proper place that you should never boil the starch until your 
clothes air v^'ady to hang up to' dry. No shirt can be done up nicely 
without a ,^:ii t board. The one I have is two feet long and one foot 
wide — an inch board planed smooth, and covered on one side with six 
thicknesses of flannel, the top one being soft white flannel. The first 
five thicknesses are stretched oyer tightly, and tacked securely onto the 
edge of the board, all around; the white flannel, outside, is stitched to 
the edges of the others, so that it can be removed for washing whenever 
necessary. Old blankets or shawls that have done their duty as such 
can be well utilized for this purpose. 

Woolen Undergarments when shrunken by washing cannot be 
made to resume their original proportions. Something may be done in 
that direction, however, by pressing them with a hot iron while stretch- 
ing them to their full length. To wash flannel so it will not shrink, 
make a suds of boiling hot water, put the flannel in and pound or souse 
up and down until it is clean, then wring, and put into scalding hot water 
and rinse; wring dry and hang at once on the line. We have washed 



118 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

flannels in this way without shrinking them until they dropped to pieces 
from wear. If the water is hard soften it with borax. A machine makes 
the cleansing of flannels mere play. 

To Wash Woolen Blankets. — Dissolve in boiling water four tea- 
spoons of borax and two thirds of a pint of soft soap; put into a tub and 
pump two thirds fuli of soft water for two blankets. Let them soak 
over night, squeeze, or pound, and lay in a basket to drain. Rinse and 
drain well twice, the last time blue the water. Dry without wringing. 

To Revive The Color of Black. — If a coat, clean it well, then boil 
from two to four ounces of logwood in your copper, or boiler for half 
an hour ; dip your coat in warm water and squeeze it as dry as you can ; 
then put it into the copper and boil it for half an hour. Take it out 
and add a piece of green copperas about the size of a horse-bean ; boil 
it another half hour, then draw it and hang it in the air for an hour or 
two ; lake it down, rinse it in two or three cold waters, dry it and let it 
be well brushed with a soft brush, over which a drop or two of the oil of 
olives has been rubbed, then stroke your coat regularly over. 

To Clean Black Lace. — Squeeze softly and often in skimmed milk; 
when it seems clean, put it in clean Skimmed milk, squeeze again, lay 
it on sheets of stifi" paper, draw out the scallops and edges with fingers, 
cover with stiff" paper and a heavy weight. Chloroform is very useful in 
removing great stains from light silk and poplin, French chalk is also 
very good. To clean black cashmere, wash in hot suds with a little 
borax in the water; rinse in blueing water — very blue — and iron while 
damp. It will look equal to new. 

^^ To Preveet Colors From Fading. — Dissolve one ounce of sugar 
of lead in one pail of soft water. Put the dress into the water 
and let it stay a half hour; then wring out and dry before washing. Hay 
water cleanses and stiff'ens brown or buff" linen. One large spoon of 
beef's gall to two pails of suds, improves calicoes and prevents their fad- 
ing. Make starch for black calicoes of coffee water. Grlue is good for 
stiff"ening calicoes. Never let your calicoes freeze when drying. 

To Remove Ink Stains. — Apply lemon juice and salt and lay in the 
sun. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 119 

To Clean Oll-Clotbs. 

Soap should not be used in cleaning oil-cloths. To half a pail of hot 
soft water, add half a cup of washing fluid, or a piece of sal-soda half 
the size of an egg; with a scrubbing-brush or broom rub hard, putting 
on only sufficient water to keep it from running ofi"; wipe dry with a soft 
cloth, and it will look as bright and shining as when new. This is a 
good way to clean common paint, as it does not destroy the gloss or var- 
nish. It is also good for cleaning windows. 

To \¥asli Ribbons. 

As washing and doing up ribbons is quite a source of economy, it is 
not every lady who knows that with the exception of a few delicate col- 
ors, pink, sky-blue, etc., almost any ribbon can be washed and ironed and 
made to look nearly if not quite as well as new. To wash ribbons, make 
a clear lather of clean, white soap, the water as warm as you can bear 
your hands ; rub the ribbon through this ; soap may also be applied where 
there are grease spots on the wrong side ; rinse in cold water. As soon 
as washed, without hanging out to dry, have ready a hot iron, and press 
them out while wet ; press on the wrong side. They will wrinkle and 
never look well if not pressed while wet. If you wish to stifen them, 
dip them, before ironing, in a solution of gum arable ; when ironed 
smooth, take the scissors and trim oif the ends. Narrow satin ribbons, 
yellow and white, have been renewed in this way, when you would not 
know they had ever been used ; also wide colored ribbons, black, etc. 

To Clean Ribbons. — Benzine will take the grease out of the most 
soiled ribbons, and clean them, and make them equal to new. Lay the 
soiled ribbon, or piece of silk, in a plate and cover it with benzine, and 
then lay it, after rubbing it a little with a piece of flannel, in a clean 
cloth to dry it somewhat, and then iron it on the wrong side. Then put 
the ribbon outside in the air. 

To Clean Kid G-loves. — However well adapted benzine is to clean- 
ing of kid gloves, certain precautions are necessary to insure success. 
Soak for several hours in benzine, squeeze out and rinse in fresh ben- 
zine. Wring dry, and hang in current of air to dry. When dry lay on 
a plate over a kettle of boiling water. Do not rub while washiug them. 



120 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

AGRICULTURAL TABLES. 



To Measure Crraiii in tlie Bin. 

By the United States standard, 2150 cubic inches make a bushel; one 
cubic foot contains 1728 cubic inches. Rule — Multiply the number of 
feet in the width of the bin, by the length, and the result by the depth, 
and then divide the number by 5, and multiply the quotient by 4, w^ich 
number will give the quantity in bushels. 

Power Required to Grind Grain. 

TO GRIND GBAIN WITH PORTABLE MILLS. 

Horse Size of Revolutions Bushels Corn Bushels Wheat 

Power. Stones. per minute. per hour. per hour. 

2 to 5 12 inch. 80 1 to 900 1 to 4 1 to 3 ' 

5 to 8 20 '' 650 to 700 5 to 8 4 to 6 

8 to 11 30 " 550 to 600 10 to 15 7 to 10 

12 to 18 36 " 450 to 500 18 to 25 12 to 15 

20 to 30 48 ^^ 350 to 40n 25 to 35 15 to 18 

Oat Meal. 

It takes about 12 bushels of oats to make a barrel of 200 lbs. of oat 
meal; another rating estimates that 14 pounds of oats produces 8 pounds 
of oat meal. 

Bucliwlieat. 

One bushel of buckwheat, or 50 lbs., will produce 25 lbs. of buckwheat 
meal; more may be obtained, but the quality will be impaired. 

Wlieat. 

One bushel of good wheat, or 60 lbs., is estimated to make^40 lbs. of 
flour; i. e. 2^ bushels of wheat for 100 lbs. of flour. 

Barrel of flour weighs 196 lbs; pork, 200; beef, 200; salt, 180; firkin 
of butter, 56; corn, 5 bushels to the barrel; potatoes, 2^ bushels to the 
barrel. 

The following taljje gives nearly the following quantities of meal, 
flour and bread, viz: 

1 bushel of wheat, weighing 60 lbs, makes 40 lbs flour, and .54 lbs. bread. 

1 '' '' rye '' 54 "■ '• 42 .56 '' 

1 '' '' barley, •' 48'' " 36i4" '" " 50 " 

1 '' " oats, " 33" " IWi'' '• " 242i" 



THU HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



121 



Com and Pork. 

Table showing the price of pork per pound at different prices per 
bushel for corn: 



Corn per bu. 
cts. 

i2y2 

15 


Pork per lb. 

cts. 

150 

1.78 

2.00 

2.30 


Corn per bu. 

cts. 

38 


Pork per lb. 

cts. 
4.52 


40 


4.76 


17 


42 


5.00 


20 


45 

50 


5.35 


22 


2.62 


5.95 


25 


2.96 


55 

60 

65 

70 


6.54 


30 


3 57 


7 14 


33 


3 92 


7.74 


35 


.. ^^ .4.0.5 


8.57 







By reversing the above table we have the price of corn per bushel, at 
different prices per pound for pork. For example, should corn be selling 
for 50 cents per bushel, and pork for only five cents per pound, it would 
be more profitable to sell the corn ; but should corn be selling for 40 
cents per bushel, and pork for six cents per pound, it would be more 
profitable to reduce the corn to pork, and sell the latter. (The above is 
exclusive of the labor of feeding and taking care of hogs.) According 
to the Patent Office reports, and the results of numerous experiments, 
one bushel of corn weighing 56 pounds will produce 10|- pounds of 
pork. 

Note. — The foregoing table and rules must not be taken as invariably 
correct, it is only deemed a safe general average, the very nature of the 
subject precludes the possibility of exactly defining the results and 
proportions. 

Another close calculation by another party as to what it costs to make 
100 pounds of pork from corn food, is as follows: 

When corn costs 10 cent per bushel, pork costs $1.00 per cwt. 

15 " '' '• 1.50 

20 " '• " 2.00 

25 " " " 2.50 

30 " " " 3.00 

35 " " '' 3.50 

40 '' " " 4.G0 

50 " ■" " 5.00 

The manure will abundantly pay for the care of hogs when properly 
saved. The fatter hogs become the closer their quarters may be, for 
then they require only rest. 



122 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



How to Sell Hogs. 

A question of financial importance to farmers is often asked of each 
other in regard to the shrinkage of hogs in dressing to decide what should 
be the difference in the price between live and dressed hogs. A close 
calculator selected twenty pigs, they were well fed and fattened, though 
not large, with the following results 
alive and dressed : 



We give below the exact weights, 



No. 
1.. 


Live weight 

173 

151 

155 


Dre.s8fc 


d weight. 

.143 

.128 





^0. 

11.. 

12.. 

1«f 


Live weight. Dre.ssed weight. 

131 112 

176 145 




3 


130 




148 118 




4 


12G ... 

1S5 




.104 





14.. 

1^ 


153 128 

164 . 138 




5 


.116 .. 






6 . 


103 

130.... 




.136 

.108 




16.. 
IT.. 

18.. 


148 120 

133 . 115 




8 


l;jG 




114 




168 139 




9 


153 




128 




132 114 ... . 




10 


148 

Total, Live 


Weight, 


..12"' 




'>;» 


1 13 90 








...2.935 


Total, Dressed Weight 


...2,447 



Shrinkage, 488 pounds, or a trifle over one-seventh. He was offered 
$4.00 per 100 for the lot on foot, but sold for $5.10 dressed, a gain of 
$7.62 in favor of dressing, and the rough lard was sufficient to pay for 
butchering. Farmers can look this over at their leisure, and decide how 
they will sell. 

TABLE 



Showing how much one 


team and plow will perform in a day in acres and tenths. 


Width of furrow in inches. 


Acres and 1 Width of furrow in feet, 
tenths. 1 


Acret* and 
tenths. 


5 


1.0 
1.2 
1.4 
1.6 
1.8 
2.0 
2.2 
2.4 
2.8 
3.2 
3.6 
4.0 
4.4 


2 


4.8 


6 


2/2 

3 


6.0 


7 


7.2 


8 


3/2 

4 


8.4 


9 


9 6 


10 


f/2 


10.8 


11 


12.0 


12 


r':::::::;;:::;;:-;;:::;;- 


13.2 


14 


14.4 


16....- 


6/2 


1.5.6 


18 


16 8 


20... 


r'::;:::::.:;:.:::::::::: 


18.U 


22 


20.2 



Note. — The above table is constructed on the presumption that the 
team moves at the rate of three feet per second, or two 'miles per hour 
for ten hours per day. Horses and mules in good condition will do this. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



123 



The required amount of food for a horse of ordinary work is twelve 
pounds of oats, or any other kind of grain food, and fourteen pounds of 
hay. A horse weip;hing 1,000 pounds, and fed eight quarts of grain or 
oats, which is equivalent to eight pounds of hay, should be fed eight 
pounds of hay. Hay is the nerve food for horses, cattle or sheep, and 
grain is the muscular fat-producing food. 



TABLE 
Showing tlie distance traveled by a single horse in plowing an acre of land. 



Breadth of furrow. 


Space traveled in 
plowing an acre. 


Breadth of furrow. 


Space traveled in 
plowing an acre. 


INCHES. 


MILES. 


INCHES. 


MILES. 


7 


U% 


14 

15 


7 

6H 

&% 

52i 

5H 

5^ 

5 


8 


1?^:::.::;::::::::. 


9 


16 . 


10 


10 ...:::::::::::: 

9 '..... 

8^ 


17 


11 


18 


12 


19 


13 


71/2 


20 









Nutriment in Food, and Time of I>ig:estlon* 

Below we give a table showing the amount of nutriment contained in 
some of the common articles of food, and the time required to digest 

them: 

Article. Time of Amt.of 

Digestion. Nutriment, 
Hrs. Min. Per Cent. 

Rice, boiled 1 .... 38 

Soup. Barley, boiled, 1 30 

Apples, sweet, mellow, raw, 1 80 10 

Tapioca, boiled • 2 ... 

Milk, boiled 2 

Barley, boiled, 2 

Liver, Beef, fresh, boiled, 2 ... 

Eggs, fresh, raw, 2 

Milk, raw, 2 

Turkey, domestic, roasted, 2 

Cake, sponge 2 

Beans, boiled 2 30 37 

Parsnips, boiled 2 

Cabbage, head, boiled, 2 

Oysters, fresh, raw, 2 

Beef, roasted 3 

Mutton . fresh, roasted, 3 

Soup. Bean, boiled 3 

Chicken Soup, 3 

Dumpling, Apple, boiled, 3 

Oysters, fresh, roasted, 8 15 

Pork, roasted , 3 J5 

Sausage, fresh, broiled, . , . . , 3 20 

Oysters, fresh, stewed,,. , .,,., 8 80 



124 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



NUTKIMENT IN FOOD, AND TIME OF DIGISSTION— Continued. 

Oyster Soup, boiled, 3 

Bread, Wheat, fresh, baked, '. 3 

Turnips, flat, boiled, 3 

Potatoes, Irish boiled, 3 

Eggs, fresh, hard boiled, 3 

Green Corn tnd Beans, fresh, boiled, 3 

Beets, boiled 3 

Poultry, roasted, 2 

Sugar, : 3 

Veal, roasted, 4 

Fish, boiled, 2 

Cucumbers, 

Butter, 2 30 



30 




30 


... 60 


30 


4 


30 


... 13 


30 




45 




45 




45 


... 27 


30 


... 96 




... 25 




... 20 




... 2 





. .. 96 



Orovrtb and JLife of Auitnals. 



Man grows for 80 years, and lives 9"^ or 100 

The Horse grows for 5 years and lives .30 

The Ass grows for 4 years and lives 30 

The Ox grows for 4 years, and lives 15 " 20 

The Cow grows for 4 years and lives 20 

The Hog lives 10 years. 

The Camel grows for 8 years and lives .' 40 

Tae Lion grows for 4 years and lives 40 

The Dog grows 2 years and lives 12 • 11 

The Cat grows for I14 years and lives 9 •• 10 

The Hare grows for one year and lives 8 

The Guina Pig grows 7 montheand lives.. 6"' 7 

The Beaver lives 30 

The Deer and Wolf live 2^ 

The Fox ives 14 16 



years. 



To Measure Corn in the Crib. 



This rule will apply to a crib of any size or kind. Two cubic feet of 
good, sound, dry corn in the ear, will make a bushel of shelled corn To 
get, then, the quantity of shelled corn in a crib of coi n in the ear, 
measure the length, breadth and height of the crib inside of the rail; 
multiply the length by the breadth, and the product by the height; then 
divide the product by two, and you have the number of bushels of shdled 
corn in the crib. 

Another way to measure in the crib : multiply the length by the breadth, 
and the product by the height, to obtain the number of cubic feet, mul- 
tiply this product by 4, and strike off the right hand figure, and the 
result will be shelled bushels, nearly. 

To Find the Number of Bushels of Gi'ain in a Granary. 

Multiply the length in inches by the width in inches, and this again 
by the height, and divide the product by 2150, and for heaped measure, 
2)448) and the quotient will be the answer. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



125 



Example. — In a granary 9 feet long, by 4 feefe wide and 6 feet deep, 
how many bushels will it contain? 

Solution. — 108 inches length x 48 inches width, 72 inches in depth = 
373,248 divided by 2,150=173.65 bushels. Answer. 

The number of eggs annually laid by a hen is estimated at fifty-two, 
which would weigh about six pounds; and as a fowl seldom weighs any 
more than three pounds, a hen lays annually double her own weight. 

Seventeen eggs will weigh, on the average, two and one-fifth pounds. 

To find the number of bushels of apples, potatoes, etc., in a bin, mul- 
tiply the length, breadth and thickness together, and this product by 8, 
and point off" one figure in the product for decimals. 

Capacity of Boxes, Bins, Etc, 



Length. Breadth. Depth. Bushels. 

5ft 3ft 2 ft., will contain 24 

5'' 3^' 3^'.. '^ '' .... 36 

5-^ 3 '' 4'^ .. '' " ... 4S 



Length. Breadth. Depth. 

7 ft 5 ft 33£ft will contain 

9'' 6-'.. ...5 '' •' 

13'^ 8'' 6 '' '' 



Bushels. 



.100 
.216 
.500 



Accurate l^ood-Measure. 



LENGTH EIGHT FEET. 



Width 


Height 


in ft 






H 


eight 


in 


inches. 




Width 


Height in ft. 


Height 


n 


nches. 




FT. IN. 


1 

20 
21 
21 
32 
23 
23 


2 

40 

41 
42 
44 
45 

47 


3 

60 
62 
64 
66 
68 
70 


4 

80 
82 
85 
88 
91 
94 


12 

23 
23 
2 4 
24 
24 
24 


3 

5 
5 
5 
6 
6 
6 


4 

7 
7 
7 
8 
8 
8 


5 

8 
8 
9 
9 

!l! 

10 


6 

10 
10 
11 
11 
11 
12 


7 

12 
12 
13 
13 
13 
14 


8 

13 
14 
14 
15 
15 
15 


9 

15 
15 

16 

17 
17 
17 


10 

17 
17 
18 
18 
19 
19 


'1 
18 
18 
20 
20 


FT. IN. 


1 

24 
25 
25 
26 
27 
27 


2 

48 
49 
51 
52 
53 
55 


3 4 

72 96 

74 99 
76 101 
78 104 
80 107 
82 1091 


123 

24 6 
246 
246 
247 

25 7 
257 


4 

8 
8 
8 
9 
9 
9 


5 

10 
10 
10 
11 
11 
11 


6 

12 
12 
13 
13 
14 
14 


14 
14 

15 
15 
16 
16 


8 

16 

17 
17 
17 
18 
18 


9 

18 
18 
19 
20 
20 
20 


10 

20 
20 
21 
22 
23 
23 


11 


2 6 

7 
8 
9 
10 
11 


3 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 


22 
22 
23 
24 
25 
25 


3 6 

7 
8 
9 


28 
29 
29 
39 


56 

57 
59 
60 


84 
86 
88 
90 


112 
115 
117 
120 


2 5 

3 5 
35 
3 5 


7 
8 
8 
8 


9 
10 
10 
10 


12 
12 
12 
13 


14 
15 
15 
15 


16 

17 
17 
18 


19 
19 


21 
22 
22 
23 


23 
24 

24 
26 


26 
27 

27 
28 


10 

11 

4 


31 
31 
32 


61 
63 
84 


92 123 
94 125 
96 138 


3 58 
358 
3 58 


10 
10 
11 


13 
13 
13 


16 
16 
18 


18 
18 
19 


21 
21 

21 


23 
23 
24 


26 

37 


29 
29 
29 



Explanation. — Find the width of the load in the left-hand column 
of the table ; then move to the right on the same line, till you come 
under the height in feet, and you have the contents in feet : then move 
to the right on the same line, till you come to the height in inches, and 
you will have the additional contents in feet for the height in inches. 
The sum of these two gives the contents in feet. For loads 12 feet 
long, add one-half, and for four feet, subtract one-half. 



126 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



Example. — If a load of wood be 2 feet 10 inches wide, and 8 feet 7 
inches high, what are the contents? Against 2 feet 10 inches, and 
Tinder 3 feet, stands 68 ; and under 7 inches at the top, stands 13: then 
13 plus 68 equals 81, the true contents in feet. 

Price of IVood Per Cord. 



Ft. 


$1 50 


$1 75 


$2 00 


S2 25 


$2 50 


$2 75 


Ft. 


$3 00 


«3 25 


5.3 50 


$4 00 


$4 50 


$5 00 


1 


01 


01 


01 


02 


02 


02 


1 


02 


02 


02 


03 


03 


03 


2 


02 


02 


03 


03 


04 


04 


2 


05 


05 


05 


06 


07 


07 


3 


03 


04 


04 


05 


06 


06 


3 


07 


07 


08 


09 


10 


11 


4 


05 


06 


06 


07 


08 


09 


4 


09 


10 


10 


12 


14 


15 


5 


OG 


07 


08 


09 


10 


11 


5 


12 


13 


13 


15 


17 


19 


6 


07 


08 


09 


11 


12 


13 


6 


14 


15 


16 


18 


21 


23 


7 


08 


10 


11 


12 


14 


15 


7 


16 


17 


19 


21 


24 


27 


8 


09 


11 


12 


14 


16 


18 


8 


19 


20 


21 


24 


28 


31 


16 


19 


22 


25 


28 


31 


35 


16 


37 


40 


43 


49 


56 


62 


24 


28 


33 


37 


42 


47 


52 


24 


56 


61 


65 


75 


84 


93 


32 


38 


44 


50 


56 


63 


69 


32 


75 


81 


87 


1 00 


1 12 


1 25 


40 


47 


55 


63 


70 


78 


86 


40 


94 


1 02 


1 09 


1 25 


1 40 


156 


48 


56 


66 


75 


84 


94 


1 03 


48 


1 12 


1 22 


1 31 


1 50 


1 68 


1 87 


f6 


61 


77 


88 


98 


1 09 


1 20 


56 


1 13 


1 42 


1 53 


1 75 


1 96 


2 18 


64 


75 


88 


1 00 


1 13 


J 25 


1 38 


64 


1 50 


1 62 


1 75 


2 00 


2 25 


2 50 


72 


84 


98 


1 13 


1 27 


141 


1 55 


72 


1 69 


1 83 


1 96 


2 25 


2 53 


2 81 


80 


94 


1 09 


1 25 


1 41 


1 56 


1 72 


80 


1 88 


2 03 


2 18 


2 50 


2 81 


3 13 


84 


98 


1 15 


1 31 


1 48 


164 


1 81 


84 


1 97 


2 13 


2 29 


2 68 


2 95 


3 28 


88 


1 03 


1 2 1 


1 38 


1 55 


1 72 


1 89 


88 


2 06 


2 23 


2 40 


2 75 


3 09 


3 43 


92 


1 08 


1 26 


1 44 


1 62 


1 80 


1 98 


92 


2 15 


2 33 


2 51 


2 87 


3 23 


3 59 


96 


1 13 


1 31 


1 50 


1 69 


1 88 


2 06 


96 


2 25 


2 44 


2 62 


3 00 


3 37 


3 75 


104 


1 22 


1 42 


1 63 


1 83 


2 03 


2 23 


104 


2 44 


2 64 


2 84 


3 25 


3 65 


4 05 


112 


1 31 


1 r3 


1 75 


1 97 


2 19 


2 41 


112 


2 62 


2 84 


3 06 


3 5n 


3 93 


4 38 


120 


1 41 


1 64 


1 88 


2 11 


2 34 


2 58 


120 


2 81 


3 05 


3 28 


3 75 


4 21 


4 68 


128 


1 50 


1 75 


2 00 


2 25 


2 50 


2 75 


128 


3 00 


3 25 


3 49 


4 00 


4 50 


5 00 


Ft. 


$5 50 


$6 00 


$6 51 


$7 00 


$7 5r. 


$8 00 


Ft. 


S5 50 


$6 00 


^^6 50 


$7 00 


5p7 50 


$8 00 


1 


04 


04 


05 


05 


05 


06 


56 


2 40 


2 62 


2 84 


3 06 


3 28 


3 50 


2 


08 


09 


10 


10 


11 


12 


64 


2 75 


3 00 


3 25 


3 50 


3 75 


4 00 


3 


12 


14 


15 


16 


17 


18 


72 


3 09 


3 37 


3 65 


3 93 


4 28 


4 50 


4 


17 


18 


20 


21 


23 


25 


80 


3 43 


3 74 


4 06 


4 37 


4 68 


5 00 


5 


21 


23 


25 


27 


29 


31 


84 


3 60 


3 94 


4 26 


4 59 


4 92 


5 25 


6 


25 


28 


3§ 


32 


35 


37 


88 


3 78 


4 13 


4 47 


4 81 


5 16 


5 50 


7 


30 


32 


35 


38 


41 


43 


92 


3 95 


4 3) 


4 67 


5 03 


5 4^ 


6 75 


8 


34 


37 


40 


43 


46 


50 


96 


4 12 


4 49 


4 87 


5 25 


5 62 


6 00 


16 


68 


74 


81 


87 


93 


1 00 


104 


4 47 


4 87 


5 28 


5 69 


6 09 


6 59 


24 


1 03 


1 12 


1 22 


1 31 


1 41 


1 50 


112 


4 80 


5 24 


5 69 


6 12 


6 56 


7 00 


32 


1 37 


1 50 


1 63 


1 75 


1 87 


2 00 


120 


5 15 


b 62 


6 lO 


6 56 


7 03 


7 50 


40 


1 72 


1 8? 


2 f 3 


2 19 


2 34 


2 50 


128 


5 50 


6 00 


6 50 


7 00 


7 50 


8 00 


48 


2 06 


2 25 


2 44 


2 62 


2 81 


3 00 

















Explanation. — Find the number of feet in the left hand column of 
the table ; then the price, in dollars and cents at the top of the page, 
and trace the line and column until they meet, and you will find the 
amount in dollars and cents. 

Example. — If a load of wood contains 96 feet, at $2.50 per cord — 
first find the amount of 96 feet, which is $1.88; and then add the value 
9t % feet (4 cents,) makjpg $J,92f So of all eimilar exampleg, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 127 

Hints to linniber Dealers and Mechanics in Selecting Materials 
For Building Purposes. 

SELECTION OF STANDING TREES. 

The principal circumstances which effect the quality of growing trees, 
are soil^ climate, and aspect. 

In a moist soil, the wood is less firm, and decays sooner than in a dry, 
sandy soil ; but in the latter, the timber is seldom fine ; the best is that 
which grows in a dark soil, mixed with stones and gravel. This remark 
does not apply to the poplar, willow, cypress, and other light woods, 
which grow best in wet situations. 

In the United States, the climate of the Northern and Middle States 
is most favorable to the growth of timber used for ordinary purposes, 
except the cypress. 

Trees growing in the center of a forest, or on a plain, are generally 
straighter and more free from lii^bs than those growing on the edge of 
the forest, in open ground, or on the sides of hills ; but the former are 
at the same time less hard. The aspect most sheltered from the preva- 
lent winds is generally most favorable to the growth of timber. The 
vicinity of salt water is favorable to the strength and hardness of white 
oak. 

The selection of timber trees should be made before the fall of the 
leaf. A healthy tree is indicated by the top of branches being vigorous, 
and well covered with leaves ; the bark is clear, smooth, and of a uniform 
color. If the top has a re^gjular, rounded form — if the bark is dull, 
scabby, and covered with white and red spots, caused by running water 
or sap — the tree is unsound. The decay of the uppermost branches, 
and the separation of the bark from the wood, are infallible signs of the 
decline of a tree. 

DEFECTS OF TIMBER TREES, (ESPECIALLY OF OAK.) 

Sap, the white wood next to the bark, which very soon rots, should 
never be used, except that of hickory. 3 here are sometimes found 
rings of light colored wood surrounded by good hard wood ; this may be 
called the second sap ; it should cause the rejection of the tree. 



128 THE HOMESTEAD MANIJAL. 

Brash-wood, is a defect generally consequent on the decline of the 
tree from age ; the pores of the wood are open, the wood is reddish 
colored, it breaks short, without splinters, and the chips crumble to 
pieces. This wood is entirely unfit for mechanical purposes or artillery 
carriages. 

, Wood which has died before being felled, should in general be 
rejected ; so should knotty trees, and those which are covered tuberbles, 
etc. 

Twisted wood, the grain of which ascends in a spiral form, is unfit for 
use in large scantling ; but if the defect is not very decided, the wood 
may be used for naves, and for some light pieces. 

Splits, checks, and cracks, extending toward the center, if deep and 
strongly marked, make the wood unfit for use, unless it is intended to be 
split. 

Wind-shakes, are cracks separating; the concentric layers of wood 
from each other ; if the shake extends through the entire circle, it is a 
ruinous defect. 

All the above mentioeed defects are to be guarded against in procur- 
ing timber for use in artillery constructions ; the center heart is also to 
be rejected in nearly all cases. 

FELLING TIMBER. 

The most suitable season for felling timber, is that in which vegeta- 
tion is at rest, which is the case in mid-winter and in mid-summer ; 
recent opinions, derived from facts, incline to give preference to the 
latter season, say the month of July ; but the usual practice is to fell 
trees for timber between the first of December and middle of March. 
Some experiments are in progress with a view to determine the question 
with regard to oak timber for ordnance purposes. 

The tree should be allowed to obtain its full maturity before being 
felled ; this period in oak timber is generally at the age of 75 to 100 
years, or upwards, according to circumstances. The age of hard wood 
is determined by the number of rings which may be counted in a section 
of the tree. The tree should be cut as near the ground as possible, the 
lower part being the best timber. The quality of the wood is in some 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 129 

degree indicated by the color, which should be nearly uniform in the 
heart wood, a little deeper toward the center, and without sudden transi- 
tions. 

Felled timber should be immediately stripped of its bark, and raised 
from the ground. 

As soon as practicable after the tree is felled, the sap-wood should be 
taken off, and the timber reduced, either by sawing or splitting, nearly 
to the dimensions required for use. 

SEASONING AND PRESERVING TIMBER. 

For the purpose of seasoning, timber should be piled under shelter, 
w^ere it may be kept dry. but not exposed to a strong current of air ; at 
the same time, there should be a free circulation of air about the timber, 
with which view slats or blocks of wood should be placed between the 
pieces that lie over each other, near enough to prevent the timber from 
bending. 

In the sheds, the pieces of timber, should be piled in this way, or in 
square piles, and classed according to age and kind. Each pile should 
be distinctly marked with the number and kind of pieces, and the age, 
or the date of receiving them. 

The piles should be tak6n down and made over again at intervals, 
varying with the length of time which the timber has been cut. 

The seasoning of timber requires from two to four years, according 
to its size. 

Gradual drying and seasoning in this manner is considered the most 
favorable to the durability and strength of timber, but various methods 
have been prepared for hastening the process. For this purpose steam- 
ing and boiling timber has been applied w^th success ; kiln-drying is 
serviceable only for boards and pieces of small dimensions, and is apt to 
cause cracks, and to impair the strength of wood, unless performed very 
slowly. 

Timber of large dimensions is improved by immersion in water for 
some weeks, according to its size, after which, it is less subject to warp 
and crack in steaming. 

8A 



130 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



Oak timber loses about one fifth of its weight in seasoning, and about 
one-third of its weight in becoming dry. 



table: 

SHOWING THE COMPARATIVE DIPFEKENCE BETWEEN GOOD HAY AND THE ARTICLES MEN- 
TIONED BELOW, AS FOOD FOR STOCK — BEING THE RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS. 

100 Pounds of Hay Are £q^iial to: 



Green Indian Corn 275 lbs. 

Green Clover 400 '' 

Kye Straw 442 '' 

Wlreat Straw 360 " 

Oat Straw 164 " 

Barley Straw 180 '' 

Pea Straw 153 '' 

Buckwheat Straw 200 "■ 

Corn Stalks dried 40 t " 

Raw Potatoes 201 '' 

Boiled Potatoes 175 " 

Turnips 504 " 

Carrots 300 " 



Rye 54 lbs 

Wheat 46 

Oats 59 

Peas and Beans mixed 45 

Buckwheat 64 

Indian Corn 57 

Acorns 68 

Wuent Bran 105 

Rye 100 

Wheat, Pea and Oat Chaff 167 

Rye and Barley, mixed 179 

Linseed 59 

Mangel Wurzel 3;39 



TABLiE 

SHOWING THE AMOUNT OF HAY, OR ITS EQUIVALENT PER DAY, REQUIRED BY EACH 100 
POUNDS OF LIVE WEIGHT OF ANIMALS. 



Working Horses 3.081bs. 

Working Oxen 2.40 " 

Fatting Oxen 5.nC '• 

" when fat 4 00 '• 

Milch Cows from 2.25 to 2.40 '' 



Dry Cows 2.42 lbs. 

Young Growing Cattle 3.08 " 

Steers 2.84 " 

Pigs 3.00 " 

Shoep 3.00 " 



Staudard Weiglit of Grain. 

The weight per bushel of the following articles has been regulated by 
custom in some of the states, as follows: 



BUSHEL. 

Bran 


LBS. 

20 

20 


BUSHEL. 

Malt Barley 


LBS. 

34 


Shorts 


Malt Rye 


35 


Middlings, coarse 

Middlings, fine 


30 

4'> 

46 


33 


Charcoal 

Stone Coal 


22 

VOandRO 


Pop Corn 

Corn Meal 


70 

. . . 45 


Coke 

Q,uicklime 

Coarse Salt 


40 

80 


HungarianGrass Seed 

Millet Grass Seed 

Orchard Grass Seed 


48 

50 

14 


.50 


Fine Salt 


55 



Cubic Feet of Hay in a Ton. 

No exact rule can be given for measuring hay in bulk: the rules are 
as various as the kinds of hay, its condition, and the amount of pressure 
to which it has been subjected. The rules for hay in general use are as 
follows for a ton: 

Timothy, a year in mow or stack 500 cubic feet. 

Timothy from the bottom of the stack 4 '0 " " 

Timothy, newly stacked '. 7 " " 

Clover, stacked for some months 700 " " 

Clover, new 900 " "J 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



131 



Timothy and Clover, old, stacked 600 " 

Timothy and clover, new 800 " 

Common meadow hay, old 800 " 

Common meadow hay, new 1000 " 



CBNTS A DAY. 
% .I2?i 

.0514 

.11 



.55 
1.10 



TABLE OF DAILY SAVINGS AT COMPOUND INTEREST. 
PER YEAR. IN TEN YEARS. 

g 10 $ ISO 

20 

40 

100 , 

200 

400 ..., 

500 



IN FIFTY YEARS. 

$ 2,900 

260 .5.800 

520 11,600 

1 300 29.000 

2,600 58,000 

5.20ii 116,000 

6,5(;0 145,000 



Cost of Various Styles of Fence, Varied by lioealities. 

Narrow Slat Picket Fence $6.25 per rod. 

Wide Slat Picket b'ence 5.25 " 

Common Stone Wall 3.0'i '' 

Common Four Board Fence 2.00 '• 

Common Split Kail Fence 2.00 '• 

Virginia Split Rail Fence 1.50 " 

Steel Barbed Wire Fence, four wires 84 " 

TAB1.E 

THE FOLLOWING TABLE WILL SHOW THE GRADE PER MILE AS THUS INDICATED: 



An inclination of 1 foot in 10 is 528 feet per mil 





" 15- 


' 352 




" 20' 


' 264 




■•' 25' 


' 211 




- MO ' 


• 176 




" 35 • 


' 151 




" 40- 


' 132 




•' 50' 


106 




"100 ' 


53 




"125 ' 


' 42 



TAB£,E 
FOR CAPACITY OF CISTERNS. 



Bottom. 




Stave. 




Capacity. 


Bottom. 




Stave. 




Capacity 


Ft. In 




Ft. In. 




Barrels. 


Ft. in 




Ft. In. 




Barrels. 


3 

4 

4 

4 

4 


•6 

6 
5 

6 
6 


3 

4 

4 

5 

4 

4 

5 


..6 

"!8 
..4 

;.'8 
..4 

".8 
.A 

.'8 


7 
11 
13 
15 
14 
16 
18 
18 
30 
22 
26 
22 
25 


5 

5 

6 

6 

6 


.6 
.6 

."6 
.6 
.6 
.6 


5 

6 

4 

5 

6 


.4 

'.8 
.4 

'.4 

".4 


27 
31 
30 
32 
37 


4 

4 


6 

6 

6 

6 


7 

5 

6 

7 

8 

5 

6 


46 
38 


5.... 


4 

4 

5 

6 

4 

4 


43 


5 


51 


5 

5 

5 . . . . 


6 

7 

7 

7 


61 
43 




7 



Tlie Size of N stils 

The following table will show at a glance the length of the various 
sizes, and the number of nails to the pound. They are rated from 3- 
penny up to 20-penny: 



132 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



Number. Length in inches. 

3-penny 1 

4-penny 1^4 

5-penny 1?£ 

6-penny 2 

7-penny 2^4 

8-penny 2i4 

10-penny 2% 

12-penny 3 

20-penny 314 



Nails per pound. 

557 

535 

282 

177 

141 

101 

68 

54 

34 



From the foregoing table an estimate of quantity and suitable size for 
any job of work can easily be made. 

Nuiuber of Eggs per Auiuiin. 

Experiments show that the laying capacities of the principal varieties 
of chickens average about as follows: 



Varieties. 



Eegs per Lay per 
pound. year. 



Light Brahmas and Partridge Cochins, , 

Dark Brahmas, 

Black, White and Buff Cochins, 

Plymoth Rocks, 

Houdaus, 

La Fleche, 

Creve Coeurs, 

Black Spanish, 

Leghorns, 

Hamburgs, 

Polish, 

Dominique, 

Games, 

Bantams, 




TABIiE 

SHOWING WHAT WEIGHTS HEMP ROPE WILL BEAR WITH SAFETY. 



Circumference. 


Pounds. 


Circumference. 


Pounds. 


1 inch. 


2u0 


3 inch. 


1800 


1J4 " 


312.5 


3^ " 


2112. 


Wa " 


450 


3^2 - 


2450 


12i - 


612.5 


3^ " 


2812.5 


2 


800 


4 


3200 


2J4 " 


1012.5 


5 - 


5000 


2i/2 " 


1250 


6 


7200 


2U " 


1512.5 







Note. — A square inch of hemp fibres will support a weight of 9,200 
pounds. The maximum strength of a good hemp rope is 6,400 pounds 
to the square inch. Ics practical value is not more than half this strain. 
Before breaking it stretches from one-fifth to one-seventh, and its diam 
eter diminishes from one-fourth to one-seventh. The strength of a 
manilla rope is about one-half that of hemp. White ropes are one-third 
more durable. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



133 



Per Hour. 

A man travels 3 miles. 

Ahorse trots 7 '' 

A horse runs 20 *•• 

A steamboat runs 18 |'^ 

A sailing vessel runs 10 

A slow river runs 3 '' 

A rapid river runs 7 "" 

A moderate wind blows 7 '' 

A storm moves 36 " 

A hurricane moves 80 '' 

A rifle ball moves 1000 '' 

The following table is given in "How Crops Grow," showing the average 
per cent of saccharine, or cane sugar, in juice of the plants mentioned: 



Per Second, 
4 feet. 
... 10 " 
... 29 '' 
... 26 " 
... 14 " 
4 "■ 
... 10 " 
... 10 '' 
... 52 '1 
... 117 •" 
... 1466 " 



Sugar Cane, . 
Sugar beet,. 
Sorghum.... 



18 per cent. IMaize, in tassel 



10 



Maple sap 2^2 

Red Maple 21/2 



per cent. 



Table of Wages. 

Explanation. — The column in the left hand of the table shows the 
number of days; and the rate per month is seen at the top of the page. 

To find the amount of 19 days work, at $11 per month: Find 19 in 
the column of days ; then move to the right, on the same line, till you 
come under $11, (the rate per month) and you find $8.04 — the answer 
sought. 

The amount for 11 days, at $9 per month, would be found to $3.81. 

In all cases, the amount will be found directly under the price per 
month, and at the right of the given time. 

In this table, the wages are cast at 26 working days per month. For 
a fraction of a day take an equal part of the amount for one day, and 
for rates less than $8 per month, half what is shown for twice the 
amount. Thus, at $6 per month, for 11 days, take half what the tables 
give for $12, and that is, $2.54. 

TABLE OP WAGES, AT GIVEN KATES PER MONTH OF TWENTY- SIX DAYS. 



D. $8 $9 $10 $11 $13 S13 *14 



$15 $16 $17 $18 $19 $20 



1 aii aoi osi 4^1 40 


5j 


54 


1 . &i u<; 


Oj; 09, iH 


7'? 


2 


ii-Z 


69 


77 


85 


92 


1 00 


1 08 


2 


1 15 


1 2-d 


1 81 


1 38 


i 45 


1 54 


3 


92 


1 04 


1 15 


1 27 


1 88 


1 50 


1 62 


8 


1 78 


1 85 


1 96 


2 03 


2 19 


2 31 


4 


1 23 


1 88 


1 54 


1 69 


1 85 


2 00 


2 15 


4 


2 81 


2 46 


2 62 


2 77 


2 9^ 


3 lb 


5 


1 54 


1 73 


1 92 


2 12 


2 81 


2 50 


2 69 


5 


2 8fc 


8 08 


8 2.' 


8 40 


8 65 


3 85 


(j 


1 85 


2 08 


2 81 


2 54 


2 7; 


3 00 


8 28 


6 


8 46 


8 69 


8 9-^ 


4 15 


4 88 


4 62 


7 


2 lb 


2 42 


2 69 


2 9() 


8 28 


3 50 


3 77 


7 


4 04 


4 81 


4 58 


4 8;> 


5 \Z 


5 38 


8 


2 46 


2 77 


8 08 


8 8h 


8 69 


4 00 


4 81 


8 


4 0^' 


4 9^ 


5 2c. 


5 54 


b 8b 


6 16 


9 


2 77 


8 IS 


46 


8 81 


4 15 


4 50 


4 85 


9 


5 11: 


5 5-i 


5 8h 


6 28 


6 58 


6 9:;^ 


10 


3 (]8 


8 46 


8 85 


4 28 


4 62 


5 00 


5 88 


10 


5 7'i 


6 15 


6 54 


6 9;i 


V 8i 


7 09 


11 


3 88 


8 81 


4 28 


4 65 


5 08 


5 50 


5 92 


11 


6 8.-) 


6 'i'i 


7 19; 7 62 


8 04 


8 46 


12 


3 69 


4 15 


4 62 


5 (18 


5 54 


6 00 


6 46 


12 


6 92 


7 3c 


7 85 


8 81 


8 7i 


9 28 


13 


4 (0 


4 50 


5 00 


5 50 


6 00 


6 50 


7 00 


18 


7 50 


8 00 


8 50 


9 00 


9 iO 


10 00 


14 


4 31 


4 85 


5 38 


5 92 


6 46 


7 00 


7 54 


14 


8 08 


8 62 


9 15 


9 69 


10 28 


10 77 



134 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



TABLE OF WAGES. AT GIVEN RATES VER MONTH OF TWENTY-SIX DATS— continued. 



15 


4 62 5 19 


5 77 


6 35 


6 92 


7 50 


8 08 


15 


9 05; 9 2H 


9 hi 


10 38 


10 96 


11 54 


12 12 


l(i 


4 9:i 


5 54 


6 16 


6 77 


7 38 


8 00 


8 62 


16 


9 '>-V 9 65 


10 46 


11 08 


11 69 


12 3. 


12 92 


17 


5 2;i 


5 88 


6 54 


7 19 


7 85 


8 5(t 


9 15 


17 


9 81 


10 4h 


11 12 


11 77 


12 42 


13 08 


13 73 


18 


5 54 


6 2:i 


6 92 


7 62 


8 31 


9 00 


« 69 


18 


10 88 


11 08 


11 77 


12 46 


3 15 


13 85 


14 54 


19 


5 85 


6 58 


7 .11 


8 04 


8 77 


9 50 


ic 23 


Id 


10 96 


11 69 


12 42 


13 15 


13 88 


14 62 


15 35 


20 


6 15 


6 92 


7 69 


8 46 


9 23 


10 


10 77 


20 


11 54 


12 31 


13 06 


;3 85 


14 62 


1 38 


16 15 


21 


6 46 


7 27 


8 08 


8 88 


9 69 


10 50 


11 31 


21 


12 12 


12 92 


13 73 


1-1 54 


15 3=) 


16 16 


16 96 


22 


6 77 


7 61 


8 4ri 


9 31 


10 i5 


11 00 


n 85 


22 


12 69 


13 54 


4 38 


15 23 


16 08 


16 92 


17 77 


m 


7 U8 


8 96 


8 85 


9 73 


10 62 


11 50 


12 38 


23 


13 27 


14 lo 


1.) <:.', 


15 92 


16 81 


17 69 


18 58 


24 


7 SH 


8 31 


9 'S.i 


10 1. 


11 08 


12 00 12 92 ! 


24 


13 85 


14 ;? 


15 6'.;::. 1.2 


17 54 


18 46 


19 38 


25 


7 69| 8 65 


9 62 


10 58 


1 54 


12 50 13 46 1 


25 


14 42 


15 3a 


16 35! 17 31 


18 27 


19 23 


20 19 


^'ti 


300 


9 (10 


10 Ou 


11 00 


12 OH 


13 0.1 


14 00 1 


26 


15 0() 


16 00 


7 Oo|l8 00 


19 (iO 


20 OO 


21 00 



D. |22 -:^23 i^24 S25 .'3.26 


$27 


SJS D. $2'J 


mo 


St>ol 


a,32 


5J>33 


$34 


1 


85. 


»8 


9.; 


96 
1 92 


1 (10 


1 04 


1 08 1 


1 


1 12 


1 15 


1 l9 


1 .;3 


1 27 


1 30 


2 


1 70 


1 77 


1 8.5 


2 00 


2 07 


2 15 




2 23 


2 30 


2 3» 


2 46 


2 54 


2 60 


3 


2 54 


2 65 


■<! 77 


2 88 


3 '..0 


3 11 


3 23 


3 


3 ;i4 


3 46 


• 3 58 


3 69 


3 81 


3 90 


4 


3 38 


3 51 


3 69 


3 84 


4 00 


4 15 


4 31 


4 


4 46 


4 62 


4 '77 


4 92 


5 OS 


5 20 


5 


4 23 


4 42 


4 62 


4 SI 


5 Ol» 


5 19 


5 38 


5 


5 5" 


5 77 


5 96 


6 15 


6 35 


6 50 


6 


5 1 


5 30 


5 54 


5 77 


6 


6 23 


6 46 


6 


6 69 


6 9v: 


7 15 


7 38 


7 62 


7 84 


7 


5 92 


6 19 


6 46 


6 73 


7 00 


7 27 


7 54 




7 78 


8 08 


8 35 


8 6, 


8 89 


9 15 


8 


6 77 


7 08 


7 38 


7 69 


8 .0 


8 30 


8 62 


8 


8 92 


9 23 


9 53 


9 85 


10 16 


10 46 


9 


7 61 


7 96 


8 31 


8 65 


9 00 


9 34 


9 69 


9 


h) 04 


10 38 


iO 73 


^1 0. 


11 43 


.1 77 


1 


8 46 


8 85 


9 23 


9 61 


10 0' 


10 38 


1 77 


1 


11 15 


ll 54 


1 92 


12 31 


i2 7 


3 07 


11 


9 30 


9 68 


10 15 


10 57 


11 00 


11 42 


11 84 


n 


12 27 


12 69 


13 12 


13 54 


13 96 


14 38 


12 


1 15 


10 62 


11 08 


11 54 


12 00 


12 46 


12 94 


12 


13 38 


13 85 


14 32 


14 77 


15 24 


15 69 


13 


11 00 


11 50 


12 


12 50 


13 0:t 


13 50 


14 


13 


14 50 


15 00 


15 50 


16 00 


16 50 


17 00 


14 


11 84 


12 38 


12 92 


13 46 


14 00 


14 52 


15 08 


14 


15 61 


16 05 


i6 70 


17 23 


17 78 


i8 30 


15 


12.69 


13 27 


.3 85 


14 42 


15 OU 


15 58 


16 15 


15 


16 73 


17 31 


17 88 


18 46 


19 04 


19 60 


16 


13 54 


14 15 


i4 77 


15 38 


16 00 


16 61 


17 23 


16 


17 84 


18 46 


19 07 


19 69 


20 30 


20 92 


17 


14 :i!> 


15 03 


15 70 


16 34 


17 00 


17 65 


18 31 


17 


18 96 


19 62 


20 27 


20 92 


21 59 


22 23 


18 


15 23 


15 91 


16 62 


17 3^ 


18 Oil 


18 68 


19 38 


l/.;2.i 07 


20 77 


21 47 


22 15 


22 ft6 


23 53 


19 


16 07 


16 69 


17 54 


18 27 


19 


19 72 


20 46 


iO;:.'l ly 


21 9J 


22 65 


23 38 


24 13 


24 83 


20 


16 92 


17 69 


18 46 


19 -^3 


20 Oil 


20 7b 


21 54 


2>.i2 30 


23- 08 


23 85 


24 62 


25 38 


26 15 


21 


17 7; 


18 56 


19 3« 


20 19 


21 0(1 


21 80 


22 61 


21 


23 42 


24 23 


25 04 


25 85 


26 66 


27 45 


22 


18 61 


19 46 


20 31 


21 15 


22 00 


22 84 


23 69 


22 


24 oS 


25 38 


26 23 


27 08 


27 93 


28 77 


23 


19 46 


20 3-1 


21 23 


J2 11 


iS 


23 8^ 


24 77 


2:j 25 HL 


26 54 


27 42 


26 31 


29 20 


30 07 


24 


20 30 


21 22 


22 15 


23 06 


24 00 


24 91 


25 85 


24 26 76 


27 67 


28 6. 


29 54 


3(1 48 


31 37 


25 


21 15 


>2 12 


23 08 


24 4 


25 00 


25 95 


26 92 


25 27 8S 


28 85 


29 8 


3 77 


31 73 


32 68 


26 


22 (k> 


23 


24 00 


25 00 


26 ' 


27 00 


28 00 


26l29 o;) 


3(1 (1 


31 CO 


32 00 


33 00 


34 00 



D. 


$35 


$36 


S37 


$38 


mi 


$4 


D. 


$33 


$m 


$37 


$38 


$39 


$40 


1 


1 35 


I 38 


1 43 


1 46 


1 50 


1 54 


14 


18 84 


19 38 


19 93 


20 46 


21 00 


21 54 


■ji 


2 69 


3 77 


3 84 


2 92 


3 00 


3 08 


15 


30 19 


20 76 


31 34 


21 92 


22 50 


23 07 


3 


4 04 


4 15 


4 37 


4 38 


4 50 


4 62 


16 


31 54 


22 15 


23 77 


23 38 


24 00 


24 61 


4 


5 38 


5 54 


5 69 


5 85 


6 00 


6 15 


17 


33 88 


23 53 


34 19 


24 84 


25 50 


26 15 


5 


6 73 


6 92 


7 11 


7 31 


7 50 


7 69 


18 


34 33 


24 92 


35 61 


26 30 


27 00 


27 69 


6 


8 07 


8 31 


8 53 


8 77 


9 00 


9 23 


19 


35 57 


26 30 


37 04 


27 76 


28 50 


29 23 


7 


9 43 


9 69 


9 96 


iO 23 


10 50 


10 77 


20 


2d 92 


37 68 


38 46 


29 22 


30 00 


m 77 


8 


10 77 


11 07 


11 38 


11 69 


12 00 


12 31 


21 


28 26 


39 06 


39 88 


30 69 


31 50 


32 31 


9 


13 11 


13 46 


13 81 


13 15 


13 50 


13 84 


33 


29 61 


30 45 |3i 31 


32 14 


33 00 


33 84 


10 


13 46 


13 84 


14 33 


14 61 


15 00 


15 38 


33 30 96 


31 83 


33 73 


33 60 


34 50 


35 38 


11 


14 81 


15 23 


15 65 


16 07 


16 50 


515 92 


31 


82 81 


38 33 


34 15 


35 06 


36 00 


36 92 


12 


16 15 


16 61 


17 07 


17 53 


18 00 


18 46 


35 


33 65 


34 60 


35 57 


36 52 


37 50 


38 46 


13 


17 50 


18 00 


18 .5'i 


19 00 


19 50 


20 00 


26 


35 00 


36 00 


37 00 


38 00 


39 00 


40 00 



BLEACHING, WAS ING AND COLORING. 

To Bleacli Miifiilan. 

For every five pounds of cloth dissolve twelve ounces of chlorate of 
lime in a small quantity of boiling soft water. When cold strain it into 
a sufficient quantity of water to immerse the goods in. Boil them ten 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 135 

or fifteen minutes in strong soap-suds, wring in clear cold water, then 
put the goods into the chlorate of lime solution for ten or twenty minutes, 
with frequent airings, rinse well and dry the goods, then scald in clear 
soft water and dry. 

Another Method. — Boil thick sour milk, strain it into a stone pot, 
and then put in whatever it is desired to bleach; let it remain there for 
a few days, turning three times a day; wring out, wash in cold soft water 
and spread in the hot sun. Repeat the process once or twice if necessary. 

BJeacbing Cotton. 

In bleaching cotton by chloride of lime, one pound is dissolved in 
three gallons of water for each pound of cloth ; the cloth is afterward 
passed through diluted muriatic or sulphuric acid (one part of acid to 
thirty of water) and then washed. 

Yarn. — First, scour well your yarn ; when dry, get a barrel with the 
head out ; put in an iron vessel two or three ounces of lac-sulphur 
(brimstone), and set this in the bottom of the barrel ; throw in coals 
enough to make a smoke ; put some sticks across the barrel for the yarn 
to rest on ; lay the yarn on the sticks and cover up the barrel with a 
cloth to keep the smoke from escaping. You can vary the sulphur 
according to the quality of yarn. An ounce to the cut is the allowance. 
This will bleach yarn as white as snow, and renders home-made yarn 
beautiful for knitting hoods, comforts, scarfs, etc., etc. 

Bleaching and Scouring Wool. — The first kind of bleaching to 
"Which wool is subjected is to free it from grease. This operation is 
called scouring. In manufactories it is generally performed by an 
ammonical ley, composed of five measures of river wS^ and one of 
stale urine ; the wool is immersed for about twenty minutVFin a bath of 
this mixture, heated to fifty six degrees ; it is then taken out, allowed to 
drain, and then rinsed in running water ; this manipulation softens the 
wool, and gives it the first dearree of whiteness : it is then repeated a 
second, and even a third time, after which the wool is fit to be employed. 
In sosne places scouring is performed with water slightly impregnated 
with soap ; and, indeed, for valuable articles, this process is preferable, 
but it is too expensive for articles of less value. Sulphurous acid gas 



136 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

unites very easily witli water, and in this combination it may be employed 
for bleaching wool and silk. 

To Bleacli Straw Bonnets. 

Get a deep box, air tight if possible, place at the bottom a stone, on 
the stone a flat piece of iron red-hot, or a pan of charcoal, on which 
scatter powdered brimstone, close the lid and let the bonnet remain a 
night. There should be hooks on the box on which to hang the bonnets. 

Staiu«. 

An accidental prick of the finger frequently spoils the appearance of 
work ; and, if for sale, decreases its value. Stains may be entirely 
obliterated from almost any substance by laying a thick coating of com- 
mon starch over the place. The starch is to be mixed as if for the 
laundry, and laid on quite wet. The free and early application of a 
weak solution of soda or potash, and the subsequent application of the 
solution of alum, is recommended. 

To Remove From Bro\dcloth. — Take an ounce of pipe-clay that 
has been ground fine, and mix it with twelve drops of alcohol and the 
same quantity of spirits of turpentine. Whenever you wish to remove 
any stains from cloth, moisten a little of this mixture with alcohol, and 
rub it on the spots. Let it remain until dry, then rub it ofi" with a 
woolen cloth, and the spots will disapear. 

To Remove. — If on woolen from grease, scrape a little French chalk 
on the spot. If of paint rub in spirits of turpentine with a flannel. 
If of discoloration from any acid, the color may perhaps be restored by 
rubbing a solution of carbonate of soda or magnesia on the part. In 
this case, avoid the use of soap with water, as the former will restore 
the red appearance. 

To Remove Coffee. — Mix the yolk of an egg with a little milk- 
warm water, and use it as soap on the stain. For stains which have 
been on the material for some time, add a few drops of spirits of wine 
to the egg and water. 

On Cloths. — To take out acid, fruit, ink, glove-marks, and stains 
from a coat, first dampen the part with oxalic acid dissolved in water — 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 137 

about the eightli of an ounce in a wine glass of water is strong enough. 
The common salts of lemon in water also answers well. 

To Remove Fruit. — Boiling water will take out the stains of" nearly- 
all fruits, but on the juice of some, such as peaches, nectarines, and. 
blackberries, it seems to have but little eifect. 

To Remove Grass. — Wash the stained places in clean, cold, 
soft water, without soap, before the garment is otherwise wet. 

To Remove Acid. — Chloroform will restore the color of garments, 
where the same has been destroyed by acids. When acid has accident- 
ally or otherwise destroyed or changed the color of the fabric, ammonia 
should be applied to neutralize the acid. A subsequent application of 
chloroform restores the original color. Spots produced by hydrochloric 
or sulphuric acid can be removed by the application of concentrated 
ammonia, while spots from nitric acid can scarcely be obliterated. 

To Remove Grease Spots. 

Magnesia will effectually remove grease spots from silk on rubbing it 
in well ; and after standing awhile apply a piece of soft brown paper to 
the wrong side, on which press a warm iron gently ; and what grease is 
not absorbed by the paper can be removed by washing the spot carefully 
with warm water. Or to remove a grease spot from silk, scrape some 
French chalk on the wrong side ; let it remain some time and then brush 
off. 

To Remove Marking Ink From liiuen. 

Dip the garment in a solution of one ounce cyanide of potassium in 
four ounces of water. After a few hours the stain will be obliterated. 
This is very effectual, but the mixture is highly poisonous, and should 
be carefully removed. 

To Remove Iron Rust. — This may be removed by salt mixed with a 
little lemon juice. 

To Remove Iron. — Salts of lemon mixed with warm water and rubbed 
over the mark will, most probably, remove the stains. 

To Remove Ink Spots. 

As soon as the ink has been spilled take up as much as you can with 



138 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

a sponge, and then pour on cold water repeatedly, still taking up the 
liquid ; next rub the place with a little wet oxalic acid or salt of sorrel, 
and wash it off immediately with cold water, and then rub on some harts- 
horn. 

COLORING. 

Aiiiliue I>yes, 

It is very important, especially when light and bright shades of ani- 
line colors are required, to have a pure water bath, free from all for- 
eign ingredients, which may be injurious to the dye. In dyeing ^¥ith 
aniline colors it is essential to use only wooden or tin vessels; copper or 
iron is very injurious to the color. For family dyeing, any earthen or 
enameled basin will do. When sulphuric acid is mentioned in our 
recipes, the common commercial quality is meant. Where woolen yarns 
contain much grease, it is important to wash them well in a bath of soda 
and soap, at a temperture of 100 degrees to 120 degrees Fahr. In 
speaking of temperature the Fahrenheit scale is always underbtood. 

Quantity of Analines to be Used. — One pound of analine 
dyes the following quantity of goods a medium shade: Analine red — 
One pound dyes 300 pounds wool, t)r 1U2 pounds cotton, or 150 pounds 
silk. Crimson — Same proportion as analine red. Blue or violet — One 
pound dyes 250 pounds of wool, or 150 pounds of cotton, or 120 pounds 
of silk. Green, oxidized powder — One pound dyes sixty pounds of silk 
(night green). Green, iodine paste — One pound dyes twelve pounds 
silk (atlas night green). Picric acid — One pound dyes 100 pounds of 
wool or silk, yellow. Two hundred to three hundred pounds of wool, 
green, according to shade. 

Aniline Blue, Soluble in Water. — Beddi h blue, or blue de 
Lyons, bluish blue, or blue blue, English opal, or night blue. Dissolve 
the blues by boiling in sufficient water, and filter the solution through 
pa})er, flannel or shirting. 

Dyeing on Wool. — For every forty pounds of goods, mix one round 
of good starch with cold water, so as to make a thick paste, then add to 
it two and a half pounds sulphuric acid, and put the whole, with the 
dve, into the bath; stir, and let it boil w 11 belore taking the goods into 
it. This recipe is liked well for botli light and dark shades. To avoid 



THE UOMESTEAD MANUAL. 139 

the crocking (rubbing off) of the color, which circumstance is sometimes 
causing complaints, give, after dyeing, a lukewarm water-bath, in which 
for every twenty pounds of goods, one-half pound of" cream tartar has 
been dissolved. Turn them five or six times in such a bath, and dry 
them without further washing. On woolens which have to be scoured, 
dye a deeper shade than wanted, because the scouring takes oif two 
shades of the color. 

Dyeing, on Silk. — Prepare the silk with Marseilles (castile) soap; 
sour the bath with sulphuric or tartaric acid. Dye and stiffen as with 
fuchsine. 

Aniline, Orange, or Corallin. — Dissolve by boiling one pound 
carefully in ten pounds of best alcohol. 

Dyeing, on Wool. — Wash the wool well; bring the bath to nearly 
the boiling point; add the dissolved dye gradually, and it will readily go 
on the fiore. 

Dyeing, on Silks. — Add to the water-bath (temperature 100 degrees 
Fahr,) a solution of Marseilles (castile) soap. Take the silk through it, 
raising the temperature to 130 degrees; then add the dissoWed orange 
to this bath, heating it gradually. When the silk has taken the color, 
add to the bath a little sulphuric acid, which sets it on the fibre; then 
handle the silk quickly, heating the bath to 170 degrees, but not higher. 
Wash well after dyeing. 

Dyeing, on Cotton. — Same as for wool. 

Aniline Red, or Fuchsine. — Aniline red (roseine) a bright red, 
used extensively, and answering all common purposes. Aniline red, 
diamond crystal, preferred for silk and fine woolens, giving a still more 
brilliant shade than roseine. Dissolve the crystals in the proportion of 
one pound to two hundred pounds of water, in a stone jar, by pouring 
boiling water into it gradually, stirring it well meanwhile, till all is 
dissolved. Then, after the solution has become cool, filter it before use 
through paper, muslin, or flannel, to avoid specks on the fibre. The 
sediment on the filter can be boiled again, and will gradually dissolve 
almost entirely. You can also dissolve the red readily in 95 degrees 
alcohol. One pound crystals to twenty pounds alcohol. 

Dyeing, on Wool. — Prepare a bath of a temperature of 150 degrees 



140 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

to 160 degrees; put into it as mucli of the dissolved dye as will give 
you the desired shade, and then put in your goods, which, after a lapse 
of twenty or thirty minutes, will be completely dyed. Wash the goods 
only slightly, after dyeing, in pure water. 

Dyeing, on Silks. — Prepare the silk by carefully washing it in a 
solution of Marseilles (castile) soap. Dye in a lukewarm (about 95 
degrees) bath, adding the dissolved fuchsine gradually; the silk will 
take the color readily and rapidly. In order to intensify and increase 
the brilliancy of the color, wash the silk in a bath slightly soured by 
sulphuric acid, or, better, tartaric acid, after dyeing. If the goods or 
ribbons require any stiffening, put them through a bath containing a 
little dissolved gelatine or gum arable. 

Dyeing, on Cotton. — AYith soap. Boil three-fourths of a pound of 
soft soap for every ten pounds of goods in water, with an addition of a 
little olive oil; make a concentrated bath of it in a small vat, at 120 
degrees, turn the goods five times, and let them lie in it one hour. 
Then wring three times, and wash them in cold water, to which is added 
one-half pound sulphuric acid for every fifty pounds of goods. Turn 
four times, then wring four times, and dye with fuchsine in a third bath, 
giving the dye into the bath gradually, which is necessary to get an 
even shade. 

Aniline, Yellow. — This color dissolves entirely by simply boiling it 
in water and filtering it. 

Dyeing, on Silk. — Add the solution to a water-bath, soured by some 
acetic or sulphuric acid, and dye at a temperature of one hundred and 
seventy degrees. 

Dyeing, on Wool. — Dye same way as for silk, only sour the bath 
with sulphuric or oxalic acid. You can obtain every shade, from orange 
to cherry-red, by shading off the yellow of aniline, with fuchsine. An 
addition of dissolved Marseilles soap will heighten the brilliancy of the 
color. 

Aldehyd, Green Powder, also called Gas Light or Night Green. — 
The best means for dissolving this color is sulphuric acid. Take for 
every pound of powder about one pound of sulphuric acid, sixty-six 
degrees Beaume, or in proportion for every ounce of powder, about one 



THE HOMESTEAD MANXTAL. 141 

ounce of sulphuric acid. Stir well, and put the mixture either at once 
into the hot dye-bath, or else dissolve it before doing so in a rather 
large quantity of hot water. 

DiEiNG, ON Wool, Flannels, &c. — Prepare the goods as follows: 
Mix one pound chloride of lime in cold water, then add about one hun- 
dred pounds of water to it, and let it settle. Draw off the clear solution 
and bringing it up to ninety or one hundred degrees Farenheit, put in 
the yarn, which must have been well washed and be still moist; draw it 
through for fifteen minutes, then let the yarn cool off, wash again, and 
put into a new bath of one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, which contains 
for every one hundred pounds of water, one pound hyposulphate of 
soda. Draw the yarn through this bath also for fifteen minutes. Let it 
cool, and then wash again thoroughly. Woolens or yarns prepared in 
this way will then dye in the green bath without further additions of 
mordant, and at a temperature of the dye-bath of about one hundred 
and seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. In order to obtain light and yel- 
lowish shades, add picric acid, which by itself dyes yellow. The prep- 
aration must be moderated more or less according to the desired shade; 
at all events, it must be done carefully and slightly, so as not to injure 
the goods. 

Dyeing, on Silk. — Prepare the silk by careful washing in a solution 
of Marseilles white (castile) soap. Dye at a temperature of 125 degrees 
to 175 degrees Farenheit; add the dissolved dye-stuff gradually to the 
bath, when the silk will take the color easily and rapidly. In order to 
intensify and increase the brilliancy -of the color, wash the silk in a bath 
slightly soured by sulphuric acid, or, better, cream tartar, after dyeing. 
If the goods or ribbons require any stiffening, put them through a bath 
containing a little dissolved gelatine or gum arable. Add picric acid to 
obtain yellowish tints. 

Bismarck Brown. — This color has become very popular, not only by 
its own beauty, as a bright brown, but also by combining readily with 
fuchsine in topping, when it yields splendid garnet and maroon shades. 
Dissolve by adding sufficient warm water to dampen the color, pouring 
on it more water gradually till it is all dissolved. It is important to 
observe great care in dissolving; if the water is poured on too fast, the 



142 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

color will not dissolve, but remain as sediment at the bottom of the 
vessel. 

Dyeing, on Wool. — Prepare a hot water-bath, and add the color; 
the goods will dye readily. For maroon and garnet, dye first with the 
fuchsine, or mock crimson, and top off with the Bismarck. 

Dyeing, on Silk and Cotton. — Same recipes as for fuchsine, but 
add no acid to the dye-bath, and give the dissolved color to the bath in 
three or four installments, so as to obtain even shades. 

Crimson. — A kind of cherry color is produced by this dye. Dissolve 
and dye exactly like aniline red or fuchsine. 

Hofman's Violet, or Purple. — Soluble in water. No. 1, reddish 
shade of purple; No. 2, medium shade of purple; No. 3, bluish shade of 
purple. The water soluble Hofu:an's are dissolved by boiling in suffi- 
cient pure water. Dampen first with a little boiling water, in order to 
prevent a caking of the dye. Add gradually more till all is dissolved. 
Filter the solution through paper, flannel or shirting. These Hofman's 
violets, soluble in water, are very valuable, not only by reason of their 
very brilliant shades, but also by the very simple method of dyeing. 

Dyeing, on Wool. — The color is d\^ed like fuchsine, without any 
acids whatever, only the bath, to which the dye has been added, is 
brought to the boiling point. Any shade of the primula flower can be 
obtained, and the simplicity of the process of dyeing has made it also 
very popular in Europe for family dyeing. It has proved very success- 
ful for all Hofman's soluble in water, to add to the bath, together with 
the dye for every twenty pounds of goods, two pounds of dissolved gum 
arable, which helps to make the color even and fast on the fibre. Splen- 
did gray tints are also obtained, if you dye the wool only a light tint. 

Dyeing, on Cottqn. — Same recipes as for fuchsine. 

Dyeing, on Silk. — Same recipes as for fuchsine, but add only a 
little acid to the dye-bath, and give the dissolved color to the bath in 
three or four installments, so as to obtain even shades. 

Scarlet, of Aniline. — Dissolve in boiling water only, one pound of 
scarlet to twenty pounds of water. 

Dyeing, on Wool. — Add to the boiling bath for ten pounds of wool, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 143 

two pounds of Epsom salts, one ounce boracic acid, and as mucli of the 
dissolved dye as the light or dark shade you want to get requires. 
Keeping the goods in the bath on the boiling point one-quarter to half 
an hour dyes the color thoroughly on the fijDre. If you add sulphuric 
acid to the same dye-bath, and turn the goods in it, you can change the 
scarlet into a bright orange. 

Dyeing, on Silk. — Dye exactly like the orange, but do not add any 
sulphuric acid to the bath. 

Catechu, Brown. — Steep four ounces catechu and half an ounce 
blue vitriol about one hour in a brass or copper kettle, with the amount 
of water deemed necessary to work it easily. Then put in the goods 
and steep, at a scalding heat, from five to ten hours, stirring often, and 
adding water from time to time to make up for loss in steam. Lift out, 
cool, rinse in clean water, and dry. If the color is not dark enough, 
make a bath, using half an ounce of bichromate of potash in five or six 
gallons of water, and steep the goods in it, at a scalding heat, one hour, 
stirring often. Lift out, cool, rinse in clean water, and dry. This is 
sufficient for two pounds of cotton. 

Coloring Cotton Red. 

Two pounds of redwood; boil this one hour, turn it off into a tub, put 

in lOur ounces solution of tin, put in the cotton and let it remain five 

minutes. 

Coloring Cotton Green. 

For ten pounds of cotton yarn, boil in a loose sack four pounds of fustic 
for two hours. Take out the sack and add ti, c ounces of alum. When 
dissolved put in the yarn: keep it boiling gently one half hour, stirring 
all the time. Then take out the yarn, add to the water four ounces of 
indigo paste, and stir well. Put in the yarn and stir gently for fifteen 
minutes. Leave it until cold, rinse in cold water, and dry in the shade. 

Coloring Cotton Brown. 

To eight pounds of yarn take one pound of copperas, and as much 
water as will cover the yarn; bring the water to a boil, put the copperas 
in and let it dissolve; then pour out in a tub, put in the yarn and let it 



144 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

remain half an liour. Take weak lye, as much as will cover the yarn, 
and bring it to a boil; take the yarn out of the copperas-water and let it 
air one half an hour; then put it into the lye one-half hour; repeat the 
process until the color is sufl&cient; wash well in hard water, then in 
hard soap-suds, soak one hour, and afterward wash in hard water. 

Coloring Cotton Blue. 

Take two pounds of copperas, one-half pound of prussiate of potash, 
one pound oil of vitrol. Dissolve the copperas in enough water to cover 
the goods, and scald two hours. Take out the goods and rinse in cold 
water; then empty the kettle and put in fresh soft water, sufficient to 
cover the goods well; add the prussiate of potash, put in the goods and 
boil twenty minutes; then take out the goods and to the liquor add the 
oil of vitrol and stir well. Put in the goods again and let them remain 
until the color is as dark as is desired. Rinse in cold water. 

Copper and Brass Kettles, Used for Dyeing, to Clean. — After 
you have been dyeing any color in your copper or brass boiler, it is fre- 
quently tinged with the dye used; it is therefore customary to clean 
these utensils with a small quantity of oil of vitriol and water, a little 
fine sand or ashes, and a coarse flannel cloth; it must afterwards be 
rubbed quite dry. 

CEMENTS. 

For Fastening Blades, Files, Etc. — Shellac 2 parts, prepared 
chalk 1, powdered and mixed. The opening of the blade is filled with 
the powder, the lower end of the iron heated and pressed in. 

Black, for Bottles. — Consists of pitch hardened by the addition of 
resin and brick-dust. 

Cement used in the east for uniting jewels, glass and metals — Dis- 
solve 5 or 6 pieces of gum mastic, each about the size of a large pea, 
in just as much spirit as will render it liquid. Soften some isinglass by 
steeping it in water ; having dried it, dissolve as much of it in good 
brandy as will make a 2-ounce vial of strong glue, to which must be 
added two small bits of gum ammoniacum, rubbing until they are 
dissolved. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 145 

For Aquariums. — The following is tigtly recommended by a cor- 
respondent of the Boston Journal of Chemistry. Take 10 parts by 
measure of litharge, 10 parts of plaster of Paris, 10 parts of dry white 
sand, 1 part of finely powdered resin, and mix them, when wanted for 
use into a pretty stifi" putty with boiled linseed oil. This will stick to 
wood, stone, metal, or glass, and hardens under water. It is also good 
for marine aquaria, as it resists the action of salt water. It is better 
not to use the tank until three days after it has been made. 

For Repairing Fractured Bodies of all Kinds. — White lead 
ground upon a slab with linseed oil varnish, and kept out of contact of 
air, affords cement capable of repairing fractured bodies of all kinds. 
It requires a few weeks to harden. When stone or iron are t© be 
cemented together, a compound of equal parts of sulphur with pitch 
answers very well. 

Chinese. — Dissolve shellac in enough rectified spirits to make a 
liquid of the consistency of molasses. This will join wood so strongly 
that it will even resist the continual flexion of a bow, as is often shown 
in Japan, China, and the East Indies. Where this composition is used 
to join wood for bows, and spears, and lances, the fluid is thinly 
smeared over each face to be united, a thin piece of muslin interposed, 
and the whole being pressed tightly together, is left to the next day. 
This is also used to mend glass, china and fancy ornaments. 

For China. — Grind some lime into the finest powder ; tie some in a 
thin piece of muslin, then wet the edges of the broken china with the 
white of an egg, dust some lime on it, and join immediately. 

For Cisterns and Casks. — An excellent cement for rendering 
cisterns and water-casks tight is made by incorporating thoroughly eight 
parts of melted glue, of the consistency used by carpenters, with four 
parts of linseed oil, boiled into varnish with litharge. This cement 
hardens in about forty-eight hours, and renders the joints of wooden 
cisterns and casks air-tight and water-tight. A compound of glue, with 
one-fourth its weight of Venice turpentine, made as above, serves to 
cement glass, metal and wood to one another. Fresh-made cheese curd, 
and old skim-milk cheese, boiled in water to a slimy consistence, dis- 
solved in a solution of bicarbonate of potash, are said to form a good 



146 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

cement for glass and porcelain. The gluten of wheat, well prepared, 
is also a good cement. White of eggs, with jQour and water well mixed, 
and smeared over linen cloth, forms a ready lute for steam joints in 
small apparatus. 

Cement, Alabaster and Plaster. — Ornaments of alabaster or 
plaster may be joined together by means of a little white of egg, thick- 
ened with finely powdered quick-lime, or by a mixture of newly baked 
and finely powdered plaster of Paris, mixed up with the least possible 
quantity of water. 

Egg Cement. — White of egg thickened with finely powdered quick- 
lime. Use: To mend earthenware, glass, china, marble, alabaster, spar 
ornaments, etc. It does not resist moisture. 

GtErman Cement — An excellent cement for glass or earthenware is 
made as follows: Take two parts gum shellac and one part Venice 
turpentine; fuse together in an iron pot; and, when partially cool, form 
into sticks. When wanted for use, melt near a gentle heat. Care must 
be taken, while fusing the material to keep the vessel closed, as the tur- 
pentine is very inflammable; or, two parts litharge and one part each of 
unslacked lime and flint glass; pulverize separately, and mix. To use it 
wet up with old drying oil. 

Cement to Mend Iron Pots and Pans. — Take two parts of sul- 
phur and one part, by weight, of fine black lead; put the sulphur in an 
old iron pan, holding it over ^he fire until it begins to melt, then add the 
lead; stir well until all is mixed and melted; then pour out on an iron 
plate or smooth stone. When cool; break into small pieces. A suffi- 
cient quantity of this being placed upon the crack of the iron pot to be 
mended, can be soldered with a hot iron in the same way a tinsmith 
solders his sheets. If there is a small hole in the pot, drive a copper 
rivet in it and then solder it over with this cement. 

Cement for Leather. — A mixture of India rubber and shellac 
varnish makes a very adhesive leather cement. A strong solution of 
common isinglass, with a little diluted alcohol added to it, makes an 
excellent cemeat for leather. The following is the compound used by 
shoemakers for invisible repairing: To ten parts bisulphide carbon and 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 147 

one part spirits turpentine add enougli gutta percha to make a tough, 
thicklv flowing liquid, The surface to be joined must be perfectly free 
from grease, which is accomplished by laying a cloth upon them and 
apply a hot iron for a time. The coat is applied to both surfaces, and 
pressure made till the joints are dry. 

Cement for Petroleum Lamps. — A cement particularlaly adapted 
for attaching the brass works to petroleum lamps is made by Puscher, 
by boiling three parts resin with one of caustic soda and five of water. 
The composition is then mixed with half its weight of plaster of Paris 
and set firmly in half to three-quarters of an hour. It is said to be of 
great adhesive power, and not permeable to petroleum, a low conductor 
of heat, and but superficially attacked by hot water. Zinc white, white 
lead, or precipitated chalk may be substituted for plaster, but hardens 
more slowly. 

A Useful Cement 

A useful cement for closing up cracks in stove plates, doors etc., is 
prepared by mixing finely pulverizd iron, such as can be secured at any 
druggists, with liquid water-glass, to a thick paste, and then coating 
the cracks with it. The hotter the fire becomes, the more does the 
cement combine with its metal ingredients, and the more completely 
will the cracks become closed. 

To Cement Glass or Cliiua. 

Take white lead, the thick portion which adheres around the side of a 
paint keg, spread smoothly on the edges, unite the pieces and tie 
together to keep in place. Lay away in a dry place, and do not use for 
two or three weeks. 

liiquid Oliie. 

One pound of logwood and three quarts of water; boil three hours. 
Apply hot. When dry, brush over with a hot solution of two ounces 
sulphate of iron in one quart of water. Repeat if not black enough, as 
soon as dry. It will be better if one ounce of powdered gall-nuts is 
added to the latter solution, though it is not strictly necessary. 

To Make Mortar. 

Mortar is composed of quick-lime and sand, reduced to a paste with 



148 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

water. The lime ought to be pure, completely free from carbonic acid, 
and in the state of a very fine powder; the sand should be free from 
clay, partly in the state of fine sand, and partly in that of gravel: the 
water should be pure; and if previously saturated with lime, so much 
the better. The best proportions are three parts of fine, and four parts 
of coarse sand, one part of quick-lime, recently slacked, and as little 
water as possible. The addition of burnt bones improves mortar, by 
giving it tenacity and rendering it less apt to crack in drying; but they 
ought never to exceed one-fourth of the lime employed. When a little 
maganese is added to the mortar it acquires the important property of 
hardening under water: so that it may be employed in constructing those 
edifices which are constantly exposed to the action of water. Limestone 
is often combined with maganese; in that case it becomes brown by 
calcination. 

Black Bottle Sealing ^V ax. 

Common resin, twenty pounds; tallow, five pounds; lamp-black, four 
pounds. Mix with heat. 

Green Sealing Wax. — Shellac, two parts; yellow resin, one part; 
verdigris, one part. Powder and mix by heating slowly. 

Soft Sealing Wax. — Yellow resin, one part; beeswax, four parts; 
lard, one part; Venice turpentine, one part; color to fancy. Mix with 
a gentle heat. 

French Sealing Wax. — Shellac, two pounds; 3^ellow resin, one 
pound; Venice turpentine, one pound; Chinese vermilion, three pounds. 
Melt with a gentle heat, and form into sticks from twelve to twenty-four 
to the pound. 

Common Sealing Wax. — -To every one ounce of shellac, take a half 
ounce each of resin and vermilion, all reduced to a fine powder. Place 
them over a moderate fire and melt them. Any color will do as well as 
vermilion. 

Sealing Wax for Fruit Cans. — Beeswax, one-half ounce; English 
vermilion, one and a half ounces; gum shellac, two and a half ounces; 
resin, eight ounces. Take some cheap, iron vessel that you can always 
keep for this purpose, and put in the resin and melt it, and stir in the 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 149 

vermilion. Then add the shiillac, slowly, and stir that in, and afterward 
the beeswax. When wanted for use at any after time, set it upon a 
slow fire, and melt it so that you can dip the bottle-nozzles in. If you 
wish the wax tougher, add more beeswax and less vermilion. 
Improved Painters' Putty. 

Putty is made of common whitening, pounded very fine, and mixed 
with linseed oil till it becomes about the thickness of dough. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Mucilage, or Tragacaiitli. 

Triturate one-half drachm powdered gum tragacanth in a mortar with 
three drachms glycerine; add by degrees, with constant trituration, five 
fluid ounces water. This will produce a mucilage at once, without the 
objectionable air-bubbles incident to agitation. 

Anotuer. — Macerate a half ounce tragacanth in a half pint boiling 
water for twenty-four hours. Then triturate until smooth and uniform, 
and press through linen. If pretty firm this paste will keep well with- 
out the addition of an antiseptic, although a little acetic acid or creosote 
will more effectually prevent fermentation. 

GrOOD Mucilage. — For household purposes this may be made by mix- 
ing six ounces gum arabic, six ounces distilled vinegar, with one ounce 
white sugar. Instead of the distilled vinegar, two parts acetic acid and 
ten parts water may be substituted. 

Common Paste. 

To a dessert-spoonfnl of flour add, gradually, half a pint of water, 
and mix quite smooth; add a pinch of powdered alum (and some add a 
pinch of powdered resin) and boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly. 
The addition of a little brown sugar and a few grains of corosive subli- 
mate, is said to preserve it for years. 

Flour Paste. — Water, one quart; alum, three-fourths of an ounce. 
Dissolve; and, when cold, add flour to make it of the consistence of 
cream; then bring it to a boil, stirring it all the while. 

Paste for Paper Hangers. — We believe the best paper hangers | 
paste, as well as a paste for general purposes, is simply wheat or rye 



150 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

flour beaten in cold water to perfect smoothness, and the whole just 
brought to a boil, while being constantly stirred to prevent boiling. A 
little creosote, or carbolic acid, will keep it much better. Any addition 
to this paste fails to improve it 

To Ctloss Sliirt Bosoms. 

Take two ounces of fine white gum arabic powder, put it in a pitcher, 
and pour on it a pint or more of boiling water, according to the degree 
of strength you desire, and then, having covered it, let it stand all night. 
In the morning pour it carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle ; cork 
it up and keep it for use. A table-spoonful of gum-water stirred in a 
pint of starch, made in the usual manner, will give to lawns, either white 
or printed, a look of newness, when nothing else can restore them after 
they have been washed. 

Another. — This gloss, or enamel, as it is sometimes called, is pro- 
duced mainly by friction with a warm iron, and may be put on linen by 
almost any person. The linen to be glazed receives as much strong 
starch as it is possible to charge it with, then it is dried. To each pound 
of starch a piece of sperm, parafRne, or white wax, about the size of a 
walnut, is usually added. When ready to be ironed the linem is laid 
upon the table and moistened very slightly on the surface with a clean, 
wet cloth. It is then ironed the usual way with a flat-iron, and is ready 
for the glossing operation. For this purpose a peculiarly heavy flat-iron, 
rounded at the bottom and polished as bright as a mirror, is used. It is 
pressed firmly upon the linen, and rubbed with much force, and this fric- 
tional action puts on the gloss. " Elbow grease " is the principal secret 
connected with the art of glossing linen. 

To Shrink New Flannel. 

New flannel should always be shrunk or washed before it is made up 
that it may cut out more accurately, and that the grease which is used 
in manufacturing it may be extracted. First, cut oiF the list along the 
selvage edge of the whole piece ; then put into warm water (not boiling) 
without soap. Begin at one end of the piece and rub it with both hands 
till you come to the other end ; this is to get out the grease and blue 



THE HOMESTEAD MANTTAL. 151 

with whicli new white flannel is always tinged ; then do the same through 
another water. Rinse it through a clean lukewarm water; wring it 
lengthwise, and stretch it well. In hanging it out on a line, do not sus- 
pend it in festoons, but spread it along the line straight and lengthwise. 
If dried in festoons, the edges will be in great scallops, making it very 
difficult to cut out. It must be dried in the sun. When dry let it be 
stretched even, clapped with the hands, and rolled up tightly and 
smoothly till wanted. 

Washing Silverware. 

Many housekeepers wash their silverware in soap and water. This must 
not be practiced, as it makes the silver look like pewter. When it needs 
polish take a piece of soft leather and whiting and rub it hard; this will 
restore its lustre. 

Cleaning Silver. — Four ounces Paris white, one ounce of spirits of 
ammonia, and one pint of rain water. Put together in a bottle and shake 
well before using. 

Cleaning Silverware wlth Potato Water. — Silver and plated 
articles should be placed about ten minutes in the hot water in which 
potatoes have have been boiled (with salt), and then be rubbed with a 
woolen rag, and rinsed in pure water, when the articles will not only be 
free from tarnish, but perfectly bright. Potato water that has become 
sour by standing several days answers still better, and is also excellent 
for cleaning articles of steel and glass water bottles. 

To Uasli Dislies. 

To wash dishes without soap, have your dishwater hot and add a very 
little milk, as this softens the water, gives the dishes a nice gloss and 
preserves the hands. It removes the grease, even that from beef, and 
yet no grease is ever found floating on the water as when soap is used. 
The stone vessles should be set on the stove with a little water in them 
when the victuals are taken from them; thus they are hot when one is 
readv to wash them, and the grease is easily removed. Tinware keeps 
bright longer cleansed in this way than by using soap or by scouring. 
The habit so many have acquired of scouring tins is a wasteful policy, 
as the present style of tinware will not bear it. 



152 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

House Cleaning. 

As the spring days approach, the housewife feels her daily cares 
increase. Every drawer, piece-bag and closet must be ransacked, over- 
looked and cleared up for the coming summer. Carpets must be taken 
up and shaken, beds well beaten, and bedsteads washed in a strong solu- 
tion of brine to destroy insects. As anything that can lessen the labor 
of a housekeeper is desirable, we venture to contribute our mite. Save 
the tea leaves for a few days, and then steep them in a tin pail or pan 
for half an hour, strain through a seive, and use the tea to wash all the 
varnished paint. It requires but very little rubbing, as the tea acts as 
a strong detergent, cleansing the paint of its impurities and making the 
varnish shine equal to new. It washes window panes and mirrors much 
better than soap and water; it is excellent for black walnut mirror and 
picture frames. It will not do to wash unvarnished paint with it. 
Whiting is uneqaled for cleaning white paint. Take a small quantity on 
a damp flannel cloth, rub lightly over the surface, and you will be sur- 
prised at the result. Wall paper may be readily cleaned by tying a 
soft cloth over a broom, and sweeping down the walls carefully. The 
dust and ashes of stoves are deposited in every crack and crevice of our 
rooms, and require vigilant and active treatment for their removal. 
Carpets absorb greater quantities of them. All who can afford it will 
find it a great improvement to use straw matting in summer, and in the 
autumn cover them with carpet linings or even common newspapers, and 
then put down the carpet over them. 

Soaps. 

A Useful Soap. — The following is commended by those who have 
tried it for scrubbing and cleansing painted floors, washing dishes, and 
other household purposes: Take two pounds of white olive soap and 
shave it in thin slices; add two ounces of borax and two quarts of cold 
water; stir altogether in a stone or earthen jar, and let it set upon the 
back of the stove until the mass is dissolved. A very little heat is re- 
quired, as the liquor need not simmer. When thoroughly mixed and 
cooled, it becomes of the consistence of a thick jelly, and a piece the 
size of a cubic inch will make a lather for a gallon of water. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 153 

A Cheap Hard Soap. — Many housekeepers in the country know how 
difficult it is to obtain a good article of bar soap. The yellow soap sold 
at stores cuts soft as cheese, and rubs away as easily, and unless the 
housewife orders a box of soap at a time, and piles it up in stacks in the 
attic or some dry place, the yearly record will show a good sum paid out 
for soap purchased by the bar. The following recipe will prove a desira- 
ble item of economy: Four large bars of yellow soap, two pounds of 
salsoda, three ounces of borax, one ounce liquid ammonia. Shave the soap 
in thin slices, and put it into eight quarts of soft water, (rain water is 
the best.) When the soap is nearly dissolved, add the borax and sal- 
soda; stir till all is melted. Pour it into a large tub or shallow pan; 
when nearly cool add the amonia slowly, mixing it well. Let it stand a 
day or two then cut it into cakes or bars, and dry in a warm place. No 
better soap can be made to wash white clothes, calicoes and flannels, and 
it is excellent for all household purposes. It costs but three cents per 
pound, and is made in less than half an hour. This recipe has been sold 
for five dollars, and will be of service to every family. — Hearth and 

Home. 

l¥Iiite\«^as]i. 

Soak with boiling water, half a bushel of unslaked lime, keeping it 
covered during the process; strain it and add a peck of salt dissolved in 
warm water; three pounds of rice put into boiling water and boiled to a 
thin paste; half a pound of pure Spanish whiting, and a pound of clear 
glue dissolved in warm water. Mix these well and let the mixture stand 
for several days. Keep the wash thus prepared in a kettle and when it 
is wanted put it on as hot as possible. 

To Soften Hard Water. 

Cistern water sometimes grows hard by too long standing. It can be 

made soft by adding borax. Clothes washed with borax in the water 

need less rubbing and look whiter. Persons who are troubled with 

chapped hands can prevent their becoming rough by the frequent use of 

borax. 

Iron Holder. 

To make excellent iron-holders, and at the same time utilize the tops 



154 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

of a pair of worn-out boots, cut the leather into squares and cover two 
or three thicknesses of it with some suitable material, whipping it closely 
in place. Over all put a covering of nice white cloth, and as often as 
necessary remove this outside covering and replace it with a fresh one. 
It will be found that a whisk-broom will materially facilitate the damp- 
pening of clothes, which is a matter that should receive careful attention 
if the ironing is to be well done. During cold weather when there is so 
much difficulty in drying clothes, and taking them from the line, it saves 
tearing many times, to pass along the line and move each pin a few 
inches to a dry place, and then allow time for the frozen spot — at first 
covered by the pin — to dry, before attempting to remove from the line. 

Rag Carpet. 

Eight pounds of warp will make twenty pounds of carpet; always get 
coarse white warp and color it yourself . One pound of logwood chips 
and one-half a pound alum, for the above quantity. Color yellow with 
copperas and lye. Allow one-half pound of rags for a yard. 

Carpeted. Floors. 

When a carpet is taken up to be cleaned, the floor beneath is generally 
very much covered with dust. The dust is very fine and dry, and 
poisonous to the lungs. Before removing it, sprinkle the floor with 
very dilute carbolic acid, to kill any germs that may be present, and to 
thoroughly disinfect the floor and render it sweet. 

Clotlies-Piu Apron. 

Clothes-Pin Apron. — No woman knows until she has worn one, 
what a convenience a clothes-pin apron is. To make it, cut a short 
apron out of a single width of calico, and face it up half the depth with 
a piece of the same calico, hemmed at the top. Put two perpendicular 
rows of stitching through the center of this pocket, round off the corners, 
and finish the outside edge with a bias band. Make a stout belt of 
doubled calico, with a substantial button and button hole, and don't for- 
get, in cold weather, to put a pair of clean canton flannel mittens in one 
pocket with the clothes-pins. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 155 

To Draw a Rusty Nail. 

First drive in a little, which breaks the hold, and then it may be 
drawn out very much easier. 

To Restore Scratched Furniture. 

Scrape one pound of beeswax into shavings in a pan; add half a 
gallon spirits of turpentine, and one pint of linseed oil. Let it remain 
twelve hours, then stir well with the a stick, into a liquid vvhile stirring, 
and add one quarter pound of shellac varnish and one ounce of alkamet 
root. Put this mixture into a gallon jar, and stand it before the fire, or 
in an oven, for a week(to keep it just warm), shake it up three or four 
times a day. Then strain it through a hair seive and bottle it. Pour a 
teaspoonful on a wad of baize, go lightly over the surface of furniture, 
and rub briskly till dry, and in three minutes it will produce a dark and 
brilliant polish. 

Another preparation may be made as follows: Make a mixture of 
three parts of linseed oil and one of spirits of turpentine. It not only 
covers the disfigured surface of the wood, but restores it to its original 
color, and leaves a lustre upon its surface Put on with a woolen cloth, 
and when dry rub with woolen. 

Excelsior Axle Grease. 

Tallow, 8 lbs.; palm oil, 10 lbs.; plumbago, 1 lb. Heat and mix well. 

Paste. 

A correspondent gives the following recipe for a paste for use in mak- 
ing scrap-books : Dissolve a piece of alum the size of a walnut in a 
pint of boiling water ; to this add a couple of tablespoonfuls of flour 
made smooth in a little cold water, and a few drops of oil of cloves, 
letting the whole come to a boil. This paste will keep for months. Put 
in glass jars used for canning, or well cleaned blacking-bottles. Use a 
half-inch bristle brush, which costs but a few pennies. This paste is 
handy, too, for domestic purposes. 

Poisonous Molds. 

Molded bread, cheese, meat or any other eatables is an actual poison, 



156 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

whether inhaled or eaten. One kind of mold causes the most fatal 
ship-fever. The mold in damp cellars causes various grades of typhoid 
fever, diarrhoaea, dysentery, etc. Recent chemical researches and micro- 
scopic observation seem to show that miasm is nothing more or less 
than a mold, and that this mold is a cloud of living things, and are 
drawn into the lungs, and by being absorbed into the blood are sufficient 
to cause all kinds of deadly fevers. Elevated or dry localities are wholly 
exempt. 

Iiistriietioiis for tlie Ereclion of I^igliteniiig- Kods. 

1. The rod should consist of round iron of about half an inch in 
diameter; its parts throughout its whole length should be in perfect 
metallic continuity by being secured together by coupling ferrules. 

2. To secure it from rust the rod should be coated with black paint, 
itself a good conductor. 

3. It should terminate in a single platiaum point. 

4. The shorter and more direct the course of the rod to the earth the 
better; bending should be rounded and not in acute angles. 

5. It should be fastened to the building by iron eyes, and may be 
insulated from these by cylinders of glass. 

6. The rod should be connected with the earth in the most perfect 
manner, and a good way is to continue the rod horizontally to the near- 
est well, and then turned vertically downward until the end enters the 
water as deep as the lowest level. The horizontal part may be buried 
in pounded charcoal and ashes. The rod should be placed in preference 
on the west side of the building. A rod of this kind may be put up by 
any blacksmith. The rod in question is in accordance with our latest 
knowledge of electiicity. 

Candy. 

Chocolate Caramels. — Two cups of brown sugar, one cup molasses 
one heaping tablespoonful butter, three tablespoonfuls flour. Boil for 
twenty-five minutes, then stir in half a pound of grated chocolate wet 
in half a cup of sweet milk, and boil until it hardens when dropped into 
cold water. Flavor with a teaspoonf ul of vanilla. Pour out in shallow 
pans, and when it hardens into squares cut. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 1 57 

Kisses. — Beat the whites of five eggs with two pounds of sugar and 
a little citric acid. Flavor with lemon, drop on buttered paper, put into 
a moderate oven until the tops harden. 

Molasses Candy. — One quart of good molasses, one-half cup vine 
^ar, one cup sugar, butter the size of an egg, and one teaspoonful of sal-' 
eratus. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, mix with the molasses, and 
boil, stirring frequently, until it hardens when dropped from the spoon 
into cold water; then stir in the butter and soda, the latter dissolved in 
hot water. Flavor to your taste, give one hard final stir, and pour into 
buttered dishes. As it cools, cut into squares for " taify," or, while soft 
enough to handle, pull white into sticks, using only the buttered tips of 
your fingers for that purpose. 

Sugar Candy. — Six cups of sugar, one cup of vinegar, one cup of 
water, tablespoonful of butter, put in at the last, with one teaspoonful 
of saleratus dissolved in hot water. Boil fast without stirring^ an hour, 
or until it crisps in cold water. Pull white with the tips of your fingers. 

Heading off Mosquitos. 

On this subject a writer says: Not having the convenience of a 
cistern, I catch my rain water in barrels. To avoid breeding my own 
mosquitos, I elevate my barrels so that I can draw the water from the 
bottom, then pour upon the surface of the water a little thin oil, which 
soon is diffused over the water; and if it dontains "wigglers," undevel- 
oped mosquitos, they will die, and no more will accumulate while the 
oil is on the water. 

To Prevent Potatoes From Sprouting. 

An exchange gives the following method of preventing potatoes from 
sprouting, which we hope will be tried and approved: Take good, sound 
potatoes and place them in a tub or barrel, and pour boiling water over 
them, letting them remain in the water until the eyes are scalded so they 
will not sprout; dry the potatoes thoroughly in the sun, and put them 
away in a box or barrel in a cool dry place. This will give good mealy 
potatoes all the time. — Germantown Telegraph. 



158 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

INKS. 

Vanadium Inks. — These are intensely black besides being of mucli 
chemical interest. Mixing a solution of vanadate of ammonium with 
a decoction of nutgalls produces a fine black ink, without any tendency 
to precipitate. The color is not affected by alkalies and not destroyed 
by chlorine or acids, the latter turning it blue. 

Chrome Inks. — These are made by adding a very small amount of 
chromate, not bichromate, of potash to a solution of logwood. Only one 
part of the chromate is required for one thousand parts of the saturated 
logwood solution, a larger quantity being an injury rather than an im- 
provement to the color. As the coloring matter is dissolved, not merely 
suspended in the fluid, the addition of giim is unnecessary, and, indeed, 
objectionable. This ink has the merits of a deep blue-black color, of not 
being liable to settle, of adhereing well to the paper, and of not corrod- 
ing steel pens, besides being very cheap. 

Alizarine. — Digest twenty-four parts Aleppo galls with three parts 
of Dutch madder, and one hundred and twenty parts of warm water; filter, 
and mix one and two-tenths parts solution of indigo, five and two-tenths 
of sulphate of iron, and two parts crude acetate of iron solution. This 
ink contains no gums and cannot get mouldy; the tannate of iron is pre- 
vented from separating by the sulphate of indigo. Alazarine ink may 
be evaporated to dryness, and formed into cakes; one part with six of hot 
water, will then form an excellent writing fluid. 

Analine Colored. — It is well known that analine colors give very 
beautiful writing fluids; all red, blue, green, violet, gold and yellow inks 
be obtained from them in the following way: 

Dissolve one-fourth ounce of any of the analines, violet, blue, green 
or yellow by boiling carefully in one quart of rain water. Filter the 
solution through shirting or flannel; add one ounce of gum arabic dis- 
solved in one pint of water, let it settle and the ink is ready for use. 

Ladies will be pleased if a few drops of perfumery are added. 

Black. — Bruised Aleppo galls six ounces; soft water six pints; boil 
together; add four ounces of sulphate of iron and four ounces of gum 
arabic. Put the whole of it into a bottle and keep it in a warm place, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 159 

shaking it occasionally. In two months pour off into glass bottles, and 
add to each pint a grain of corrosive sublimate, or three or four drops of 
creosote^ 

Blue Patent. — Common Prussian blue is first macerated in strong 
sulphuric acid, then repeatedly washed in water and then dried. This 
process is to render it more soluble in oxalic acid, which is now to be 
added gradually in the proportion of about one part to six of the Prussian 
blue, as before macerated, together with sufficient water to yield a dense 
blue solution. 

Blue for Ruling. — Take four ounces of vitrol, best quality, to one ' 
ounce of indigo; pulverize the indigo very fine; put the indigo on the 
vitrol, let them stand exposed to the air for six days, or until dissolved; 
then fill the pot with chalk, add half a gill of fresh gall, boiling it before 
use. 

Green Ink. — Cream tartar, one part; verdigris, two parts; water, 
eight parts. Boil until reduced to a proper color. 

Indelible Ink. — Nitrate of silver one fourth ounce; hot distilled 
water three-fourths ounce; where cooled a little add mucilage one-fourth 
ounce, and sap green or syrup of buckthorn to color; mix well. The 
linen must first be moistened with liquid pounce, or the preparation, as 
it is commonly called, dried, and then written on with a clean quill pen. 
This ink will bear dilution if not wanted very black. The pounce is 
made of carbonate of soda, one lo one and one-half ounces; water one 
pint; color with a little sap green, or syrup of buckthorn. 

India ink ground up with ordinary black writing ink forms a cheap 
indelible ink for common purposes. It will resist the action of chlorine 
and most acids, and even ablution with a sponge. 

Without Preparation. — Nitrate of silver, one or two drachms; 
water, three-fourths ounce; dissolve, add as much of the strongest aqua 
ammonia as will dissolve the precipitate formed on its first addition, then 
further add mucilage, one or two drachms, and a little sap green to color. 
Writing executed^'- ith this ink turns black on being passed over a hot 
ron. 



160 THE HOMESTEAD MANtJAL. 

Purple. — Add a little muriate of tin to a strong decoction of logwood. 
A little gum may also be added. 

Brown. — Boil one-half ounce of catecliu with eight ounces of water 
until dissolved, and strain. Dissolve sixty grains bichromate of potash 
in one-half ounce of water, and add it gradually to the solution of 
catechu until the desired color is obtained. It requires no gum. 

Eed. — Best ground Brazil wood, four ounces; diluted acetic acid, a 
pint; alum, one-half ounce. Boil them slowly in a tinned, coppered, or 
enamelled saucepan, for an hour; strain, add one ounce of gum. Some 
direct the Brazil wood to infuse two or three days before it is to be 
used. 

Secret. — The solution should be so nearly colorless that the writing 
cannot be seen until an agent is applied to render it visible. 

Put into a vial one-half ounce of distilled water, one drachm bromide 
of potassium and one drachm of pure sulphate of copper. The solution 
is nearly colorless, but becomes brown when heated. 

Boil oxide of cobalt in acetic acid. If a little common salt be added, 
the writing becomes green when heated, but with nitre it becomes a pale 
rose color. 

A solution of acetate of lead, colorless, but becomes brown when it is 
exposed to sulphureted hydrogen gas. 

A solution of sulphate, or preferahly, persulphate of iron. It becomes 
black when washed with an infusion of galls; blue by prussiate of potash. 
This constitutes colorless ink, which becomes visible when written on 
paper containing galls, or tannin, or prussiate of potash. 

A weak solution of sulphate of copper. The writing becomes blue if 
exposed to vapor of ammonia. 

Mix equal quantities of sulphate of copper and sal ammoniac, and dis- 
solve in water. It becomes yellow when heated. 

A weak solution of nitrate of mercury. Becomes black by heat. 

Bice water or any solution of starch. It becomes blue when washed 
with an alcoholic solution of iodine. 

Lemon juice, milk, juice of onions and some other liquids become 
black when the writing is held to the fire. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 161 

VALUABLE PRESCRIPTIONS. 

Hope's Campbor iVIfxtnre. 

Aquae camphorae four ounces, acidi nitrosi thirty minims, tincturae 
opii twenty minims. Dose — A tablespoonful every two hours in diarr- 
hoea and dysentery. Few remedies have a more general and wide spread 
reputation than this; it is now frequently prescribed, more than sixty 
years after its virtues were originally discovered. 

Tonics. 

Fever and Ague Mixture. — Powdered red Peruvian bark three 
drachms, confection of opium and lemon-juice each one-half drachm, Port 
wine three ounces. Mix by trituration in a mortar. Dose, three table- 
spoonfuls morning, noon and night, the day the fever is off. Some recipes 
direct powdered serpentaria in addition to the above. Though not an 
elegant this is a most efficient and valuable combination. 

A Preparation of Iron and Chinchona. — Tincture, cinchonae 
comp. four ounces, Ferri citratis one drachm, acidi citrici twenty-five 
grains. Triturate the citric acid and citrate of iron together, and dis- 
solve in the tincture of cinchona and quassia. Liq. ferri citratis 
two drachms may be used as a substitute for the rather insoluble dry 
salt. The dose is a teaspoonful, containing two grains of iron. 

A Bitter Tonic for Dyspepsia. — Tincture cinchonae compound 
four ounces, tincture nucis vomicae one drachm. Mix. A teaspoonful 
three times a day in a little sugar and water. This is one of the best 
combinations of its kind, though its effect should be carefully watched 
and its use ommitted when symptoms of muscular contraction appear. 

A Tonic Cholagogue. — Quiniae sulphatis two drachms, extracti lep- 
tandrae one drachm, tinctura stillingias four ounces, extracti podophylli 
3 drachms, olei sassafras and olei gaultherise, of each ten drops, theriaci q. 
s. ut ft. 8 ounces. Mix. Dose a teaspoonful three times a day. This form- 
ula, by Dr. Mayes, of South Carolina, is said nearly to represent the cele- 
brated Osgood's Cholagogue so extensively used in the Valley of the 
Mississippi and elsewhere. 

Mixture of'Quinine, for Children. — Quiniae sulphatis, pulverized, 

9 A ' 



162 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

half a drachm, acaciae pulveris half drachm, syrupi zingiberis four 
ounces. Ft. mistura. Dose, a teaspoonfui containing a grain of the 
quinia salt, three times a day. 

MervouK Stimulants. 

An Anodyne Mixture. — Take of spirits setheris comp. and spirits 
lavandulse comp., of each one drachm, spirits ammonias aromatic forty 
drops, liquor morphias sulphatis one ounce, aquas three ounces, sacchari 
two drachms. Mix. Dose, a small teaspoonfui every hour until 

relieved. 

Arterial aud Nervous Sedatives^ 

Remedy in Pulmonary and Catarrhal DiSEASEs,etc.,UNATTENED 
BY Fever. — Acidi hydrocyanici forty drops, vini antimonii one-half ounce, 
syrupi tolutani one ounce, mucil. acacias two ounces. This, with several 
similar combinations of hydrocyanic acid, is highly recommonded by Dr. 
Horace G-reen, and published by him among his selections from favorite 
prescriptions collected from distinguished American physicians, in a 
scrap-book kept for the purpose. Eendered much more dilute, this is 
recommended as one of the best of remedies for whooping-cough. 

R ef r ig er ants. 

Effervescing Fever Powders. — Take of citric acid, dried and 
powdered, five drachms. Divide into twelve parts, wrapped in white 
writing paper. Take of bicarbonate of potassa, dried and powdered , 
six and a half drachms. Divide into twelve parts, wrapped in blue paper. 
Inclose these white and blue powders alternately in a tin box. Direc- 
tions. — Dissolve the contents of a white paper in a tumbler, one-third 
full of cold water, then stir in the contents of a blue paper and drink 
immediately. A dose is usually given every two or three hours during 
the prevalence of the fever. 

Antacids.; 

Aromatic and Antacid Corrective of Indigestio.n — Sodae bicar- 
bonatis four scruples, infusion gentianae comp.two and a half ounces,aquae 
menthae pip. three ounces, tincture of cardamoni comp. one half ounce, 
Mix. Pose, a tablespoonful as required. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 163 

Dr. Atlee's Prescription for Neuralgic and Rheumatic Symptoms. 

— Take of ethereal tincture of guaiacum one ounce, ethereal tincture 

of colchicum six drachms, ethereal tincture of cannabis Ind. two 

drachms. Mix. Dose, twenty-five to thirty drops every four hours, on 

sugar. 

Expectorants. 

Brown Mixture. — Take of liquorice, in fine powder, gum arabic, in 
fine powder, and sugar, in coarse powder, each one-half ounce, camp, 
tincture of opium two ounces, wine of antimony one ounce, spirit of 
nitrous ether one-half ounce, water twelve ounces. Rub the liquorice, 
gum Arabic and and sugar with the water, gradually added; then add 
the other ingredients, and mix the whole together. The dose of this 
very popular cough medicine is a tablespoonful, or for children a tea- 
spoonful. 

Mixture of Cubebs, etc. — Take of fluid extract of cubebs one 
drachm, sulphate of morphia one grain, syrup of senega, and syrup of 
wild-cherry, of each two ounces. Mix. Dose, a teaspoonful occasion- 
ally. Cubebs, by its excellent effects upon the mucous surfaces, is well 
adapted to the treatment of chronic coughs, coryza and sore throat. 

A Balsamic Mixture. — Syrupi tolutanus and syrupi ipecacuanhas 
each one ounce, pulverized acaciae one drachm, tincture opii camp., and 
tincture lobeliae, each three drachms, aquae one ounce. Triturate the 
gum and water together, and add the other ingredients in a vial. Dose, 
a teaspoonful. 

ToLu Cough Mixture. — Syr. scillae one ounce, pulverized acaciae 
and sacchari, each three drachms, aquae six ounces, tincture tolutana two 
drachms. Dose, one teaspoonful. 

Cochineal Whooping Cough Mixture. — Take of carbonate of 
potassa one scruple, powdered cochineal one-half scruple, sugar one 
drachm, water four ounces. Make a mixture. Dose for children, one 
teaspoonful, every two or three hours. An old and very popular rem- 
edy. 

The use of simple tincture of belladonna in doses of from 1 to 5 
drops, three times a day, is useful in most cases. of whooping cough. 



164 THE ^HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Lotions. 

For Chilblains. — Take of muriate of ammonia one and a half ounce, 
water four ounces, muriatic acid one drachm, alcohol one and a half ounce. 
Apply morning and evening. 

Thomas's Eye -Water. — Take of sulphate of zinc and chloride of 
sodium, each one scruple, rose-water (distilled) one ounce. Make a 
solution, and apply, suitably diluted, to inflamed eyes. 

Gargles. 

GrARGLE AND Mouth-Wash. — Sodae boratis one drachm, aquae rosae 
two drachm, Mellis one ounce. Mix then add tincturae myrrhae one-half 
ounce, tincturae capsici two drachms. Use as a gargle every two or 
three hours, diluted with water. 

Gargle of ALUM.--Aluminis one-half ounce, infusi lini one-half 
pint, mellis q. s.. 

Oiutiiieuts. 

Tetter Ointment. — Take of calomel, a:lum (dried), in powder, car- 
bonate of lead, oil of turpentine, each two drachms, simple ointment, 
one ounce. Triturate the powders together till they are impalpable 
and thoroughly mixed, then incorporate them with the oil and cerate. 
This is one of the very best ointments of its class, as proved by trials 
during a series of years. The mode of using it is to apply it at night, 
wash off with pure castile soap in the morning, wipe dry, and dust with 
pure starch. 

Pile Ointment. — Take of acetate of morphia five grains, tannic 
acid one half drachm, liniment of subacetate of lead one-half drachm, 
simple ointment seven drachms. Triturate the tannic acid first with 
the liniment, and then incorparate it with the ointment. 

Catharic. — Take of powdered resin of May apple (podophylin), one 
grain; powdered hyoscyamus leaves, eight grains; powdered ginger 
twelve grains. Mix and divide into four powders. One or two at bed- 
time in torpor of the liver and bilious disorders. A much safer and 
better pill than blue mass or other mercurials. 

Charcoal as a Disinfectant. — Powder some wood charcoal and 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. • 165 

expose it, in open pans, in the place to be disinfected. It has the advan- 
tage over lime preparations, of "being without odor. 

Permanganate op Potash. — Take of permanganate of potas^h, a 
teaspoonful. Water, a quart. Expose, in saucers, in the sick room. 
Useful for musty closets and foul cellars. It has no odor itself. 

Green Vitriol. — Sulphate of iron, commonly called green vitriol, 
or copperas, in powaer, alone, or mixed with lime, is an excellent disin- 
fectant for privy-wells, slaughter-houses, ditches, etc. 

Salt and Mustard Emetic. — Mix a teaspoonful each of salt and 
mustard in a teacupful of warm water. Repeat every ten minutes until 
free vomiting is brought on. 

Alum Eye-Wash. — Take of alum, one grain. Pure water, two 
tablespoonfuls. Mix. A useful wash, night and morning, for inflamed 
eyes. 

Arnica Eye-Wash. — Take of tincture of arnica, five drops. Pure 
water, two tablespoonfuls. Mix. Often of benefit in weak or sore 
eyes. 

Gargle of Chlorate or Potash. — Take of chlorate of potash, a 
teaspoonful. Tinxture chloride of iron a teaspoonful. Water, a tumb- 
lerful. Mix. An excellent gargle for ordinary sore throat. 

Poisons and Tlieir Antidotes. 

If any poison is swallowed, drink instantly half a glass of cool water, 
with a heaping teaspoonful each, of common salt and ground mustard 
stirred into it. This vomits as soon as it reaches the stomach. But 
for fear some of the poison may remain, swallow the white of one or 
two eggs, or drink a cup of strong coftee — these two being antidotes for 
a greater number of poisons than any other dozen of articles known, 
with the advantage of their being always at hand ; if not a pint of sweet 
oil, lamp oil, drippings, melted butter, or lard, are good substitutes, espe- 
cially if they vomit quickly. 

Muriatic Acid (Spiriti; of JSalt.)— Mix an ounce of calcined magnesia 
with a quart of water, and give a wineglassful every live miuutcs. 
Soap, chalk, or whiting scraped off the wall, mixed with water, milk, oil, 
white of eggs, or demulcents of any kind, may be given till maguesi 



166 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Can be obtained. Vomiting to be afterwards excited by tickling the 
throat with a feather or the finger. 

Sulpliurlc Acid [Oil of Vitriol). — The antidotes to this poison are 
calcined magnesia or the carbonate of magnesia, finely powdered, and 
mixed with milk or wat* r as above. These should be administered 
immedia<-jly. In the absence of these give soapsuds, water of wood 
ashes, milk, sweet oil, gruel, or any mild d luent that first comes at hand, 
and do not lose a moment in waiting for the most appropriate chemical 
remedy. External parts, burnt with the acid, should be washed with 
soap and water. 

Nitric Acid {Aqua Fortis). — The antidotes are the same as for 
sulphuric acid. 

Frussic Acid, or substances containing it, as Oil of Bitter Almonds, 
Cherry -Laurel Water, Wild Cherries, etc. — A stream of cold water, as 
cold as can be obtained, should be poured from a pitcher on the head 
and spine, and also dashed upon the face and ehest. The only antidote 
known that can be conveniently resorted to is ammonia, which should be 
administered as soon as possible. If hartshorn is not at hand, give ten 
or twenty grains of the salts out of a common smelling-bottle, and 
apply it at the same time to the nostrils. 

Oxalic Acid. — Give an emetic and favor copious vomiting by plenty 
of warm water, and then proceed as in poisoning from muriatic or 
sulphuric acid. 

Aconite. — If vomiting has not been occasioned by the poison, it should 
be excited at once by some active emetic, and favored as much as 
possible by tepid drinks or gruel. A cup of very strong coffee, or 
vinegar diluted with water, may then be given with advantage. If there 
be insensibility, friction and warm mustard pastes or blisters should he 
resorted to. 

Fotash. — Give vinegar diluted with water, lemon-juice, milk, oil, 
mucilaginous drinks, and induce free vomiting. 

Ammonia. — Give the same remedies as in poisoning by potash. 

Belladonna. — Stomach-pump, or an active emetic as soon as possible. 

Hellebore, — Same as for belladonna. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANTTAL. 167 

Calomel. — Give^whites 'of eggs, milk, sweet, sperm, or castor oil, flour 

beaten up with water, gruel, etc., until a stomach-pump can be obtained. 

Contliarides {Spanish Fly.) — An emetic, followed by mucilaginous 

drinks. 

Copperas. — Same as for calomel. 

Verdigris. — Same as for calomel. 

Arsenic. — An emetic immediately, and vomiting to be promoted by 
draughts of demulcent drinks, as milk, gruel, flour and water, broths, 
etc. There is no antidote to be relied upon as a specific against this 
poison'. Olive oil is extolled by some as acting to envelop the particles 
of arsenic, and preventing its absorption. It may be given when conve- 
nient at hand. 

Sugar of Lead. — Grive Epsom salts dissolved in water, and incite 
free vomiting. 

Corrosive Siiblimate. {BedBug Poison). — The antidotes for this 
poison are the same a.s for calomel. 

Opium, Laiidamim, Morphine, etc. — Give an emetic of mustard and 
alum, promote copious vomiting, and follow with draughts of very strong 
cofi"ee or diluted vinegar. Also dash cold water upon the face, and 
prevent the patient from sleeping by walking him around, pricking with 
pin, etc. 

Lime or Lime Water. — Give vinegar, lemon-juice, or any vegetable 
acid, and follow with demulcent drinks. 

Phosphorus (from matches, etc.).— Give large draughts of water, milk, 
or grue., so as to envelop the phosphorus, and exclude it from the air 
contained in the ailmentary canal. Then ^ive magnesia or chalk to 
neutralize the poison. Oily or fatty substances should aot be used. 
Burns occasioned by this substance should be washed by some alkaline 
solution, as soda, aid afterwards poulticed. 

Nitrate of Silver (from hair dyes, etc.). — The antidote to this poison 
is common table salt. Dissolve a tablespoon ful of this in a bowl of 
water, and let the patient drink of it every few minutes. Mucilaginous 
drinks should then be administered, followed by a dose of castor oil. 

Strychnine. — Give freely of whites of eggs, sweet oil, etc., and 
produce vomiting as soon as possible. There^is no real antidote known* 



168 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Pieces of Glass or Poiodered Metal. — Grive large quantities of crumbs 
of bread to envelop the particles, and then an emetic of mustard. 

Iodine. — In case of an overdose of any of the preparations of this 
substance being taken, the first object is to evacuate the stomach, 
promoting the vomiting by large draughts of demulcent liquids, espe- 
cially those containing starch, as common starch, or wheaten flour, sago, 
milk, arrowroot, etc. These to be followed by opiates. 

Saltpetre. — As there is no chemical antidote for this salt known, it 
should be cleared from the stomach as speedily as possible, imd the 
patient to drink freely of milk, gum-water or other bland mucilaginous 
drinks. 

Food for the Sick. 

Beef Tea. — 1 lb. lean beef, cut iHto small pieces. Put into a jar 
without a drop of water ; cover tightly, and set in a pot of cold water. 
Heat gradually to a boil, and continue this steadily for three or four 
hours, until the meat is like white rags, and the juice all drawn out. 
Season with salt to taste, and when cold, skim. The patient will often 
prefer this ice-cold to hot. Serve with Albert biscuit or thin ''wafers,' 
unleavened, made by a receipt given under the head of Bread. 

Mutton Broth. — 1 pound lean mutton or lamb, cut small. 1 quart 
water — cold. 1 tablespoonfal rice, or barley, soaked in a very little 
warm water. 4 tablespoonfuls of milk. Salt and pepper, with a little 
chopped parsley. Boil the meat, unsalted, in the water, keeping it 
closely covered, until it falls to pieces. Strain it out, skim, add the 
soaked barley or rice ; simmer half an hour, stirring often ; stir- in the 
seasoning and the milk, and simmer five minutes after it heats up well, 
taking care it does not burn. Serve hot with cream crackers. 

Chicken Broth. — Is excellent made in the same manner as mutton, 
cracking the bones well before you put in the fowl. 

Tapioca Jelly. — 1 cup of tapioca. 3 cups of cold water. Juice of 

a lemon, and a pinch of the grated peel. Sweeten to taste. Soak the 

tapioca in the water four hours. Set within a saucepan of boiling 

water ; pour more lukewarm water over the tapioca if it has absorbed 

too much of the liquid, and heat, stirring frequently. If too thick 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 169 

after it begins to clear, put in a very little boiling water. When quite 
clear, put in the sugar and lemon. Pour into moulds. Eat cold with 
cream flavored with rose-water and sweetened. 

Arrowroot Blanc-mange. — 1 cupful boiling milk. 2 dessertspoon- 
fuls best arrowroot, rubbed smooth in cold water. 2 teaspoonfuls 
white sugar. Vanilla or other essence. Boil until it thickens well, 
stirring all the while. Eat cold with cream, flavored with rose-water 
and sweetened to taste. 

Sago Milk. — 3 tablespoonfuls sago, soaked in a large cup cold water 
one hour. 3 cups boiling milk. Sweeten and flavor to taste. Simmer 
slowly half an hour. Eat warm. 

Chicken Jelly. — Half a raw chicken, pounded with a mallet, bones 
and meat together. Plenty of cold water to cover it well — about a 
quart. Heat slowly in a covered vessel, and let it simmer until the 
meat is in white rags an*d the liquid reduced one-half. Strain and press, 
first through a cullender, then through a coarse cloth. Salt to taste, and 
pepper, if you think best ; return to the fire, and simmer five minutes 
longer. Skim when cool. Give to the patient cold — just from the ice 
with unleavened wafers. Keep on the ice. You can make into sand- 
wiches by putting the jelly between thin slices of bread spread lightly 
with butter. 

Apple Water. — 1 large juicy pippin, the most finely flavored you 
can get. 3 cups of cold water — 1 quart if the apple is very large 
Pare and quarter the apple, but do not core it. Put it on the fire in a 
in or porcelain saucepan with the water, and boil, closely covered, until, 
the apple stews to pieces. Strain the liquor at once, pressing the apple 
hard in the cloth. Strain this again through a finer bag, and set away 
to cool. Sweeten with white sugar, and ice for drinking It is a 
refreshing and palatable drink. 

Flax-Seed Lemonade. — i tablespoonfuls flaxseed (whole). 1 quart 
boiling water poured upon the flax-seed. Juice of two lemons, leaving 
out the peel. Sweeten to taste. Steep three hours in a covered pitcher. 
If too thick, put in cold water with the lemon-juice and sugar. Ice for 
drinking. It is admirable for colds. 

Milk Punch. — 1 tumbler of milk, well sweetened. Two tablespoon- 



170 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

f uls best brandy, well stirred in. I have known very sick patients to be 
kept alive for days at a time by this mixture, and nothing else, until 
Nature could rally her forces. Give very cold with ice. 

Egg and Milk Punch. — Is made by the preceding receipt, with an 
egg beaten very light with the sugar, and stirred in before the brandy is 
added. 

Iceland or Irish Moss Lemonade. — 1 handful of Irish or Ice- 
land moss, washed in five waters. 2 quarts boiling water, poured upon 
the moss, and left until cold. 2 lemons, peeled and sliced, leaving out 
the peel. Sweeten very well and ice. Do not strain and if it thicken 
too much add cold water. Excellent for all feverish colds and ail pul- 
monary troubles. 

' Iceland or Irish Moss Jelly. — 1 handful moss, washed in five 
waters, and soaked an hour. 1 quart boiling water. 2 lemons — the 
juice only. 1 glass of wine. ^ teaspoonful cinnamon. (Measure 
scantily.) Soak the washed moss in a very little cold water; stir into 
the boiling, and simmer until it is dissolved. Sweeten, flavor, and strain 
into moulds. You may use two glasses of cider instead of one of wine 
for a fever-patient, putting in a little less water. G-ood for colds, and 
very nourishing. 

SIMPLE REIVIEDIES. 

Herb Teas. 

Are made by infusing the dried or green leaves and stalks in boil- 
ing water, and lettine them stand until cold. Sweeten to taste. 

Sage tea, sweetened with honey, is good for a sore throat, used as a 
gargle, with a small bit of alum dissolved in it. 

Catnip tea is the best panacea for infant ills, in the way of cold and 
colic, known to nurses. 

Pennyroyal tea will often avert the unpleasant consequences of a sud- 
den check of perspiration, or the evils induced by ladies' thin shoes. 

Chamomile and gentian teas are excellent tonics taken either cold or 
hot. 

The tea made from blackberry-root is said to be good for summer 
disorders. That from green strawberry leaves is an admirable and sooth- 
ing wash for a cankered mouth. 



THE HOSnSSTEAD MANUAL. 171 

Tea of parsley-root scraped and steeped in boiling water, taken warm, 
will often cure strangury and kindred aiftections, as will that made from 
dried pumpkin seed. 

Tansy and rue teas are useful in cases of colic, as are fennel seeds 
steeped in brandy. 

A tea of damask rose leaves, dry or fresb, will usually subdue any 
simple case of summer complaint in infants. 

Mint tea made from the green leaves, crushed in cold or hot water 
and sweetened, is palatable and healing to the stomach and bowels. 

Rhubarb and Epsom Salts. — Take of powdered rhubarb, one 
drachm, epsom salts, one ounce; spirits of pepperment, two drops; water, 
a tumblerfull. One or two tablespoonfuls will produce a laxative 
effect. 

White Oak Bark Tea. — Take of white oak, bruised, one ounce. 
Water, one pint. Boil for half an hour, strain, and add sufficient water 
through the strainer, to make the tea measure a pint. Useful in persis- 
tent diarrhoea. 

White Walnut Tea. — Take of white walnut bark, one ounce. 
Water, a quart. Boil for half an hour. Dose, a wineglassful as a mild 
purgative. 

Calamus Tea. — Take of calamus root, one ounce. Boiling water, 
one pint. Pour the water on the calamus, and, when cool, give in doses 
of a wineglassful for the relief of colicky pains in the bowels. Espec- 
ially useful for children. 

Dandelion Tea. — Take of dried dandelion root, sliced and bruised, 
one ounce. Water, one pint. Boil for ten minutes in a covered vessel, 
then strain, and pour as much water over the contents of the strainer as 
will make the strained product measure a pint. Dose, a wineglassful 
several times a day in biliousness and dropsy. 

Wormseed Tea. — Take of fresh wormseed leaves, one ounce. Milk, 
one pint. Boil with a little orange peel. Doso, a wineglassful, morning 
and evening, for the expulsion of worms from the bowels. 
Stre]i<;tlieiiiiig Tonic. 

One-third oz. gum gouiac; one-third oz. col umbo root; one-half ft 



172 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

raisins; one-fourtli ft) loaf sugar; put into a quart bottle and fill with 

wine. 

Simple Keiuedy for Croup. 

Half a teaspoonful of pulverized alum in a little molasses. It is a 
simple remedy, one almost always at hand, and one dose seldom fails to 
give relief. If it should, repeat it after one hour or a teaspoon of lard 
and one of molasses. 

A Oood Remedy for Cliokiiig. 
Swallow a raw egg. 

Cure for Hydropliobia. 
Bathe the bite as soon as possible in warm water and vinegar, and 
when this has dried, pour on a few drops of muriatic acid. 
Cure for a Bone Felon. 
As soon as the pulsation that indicates the disease is felt, put directly 
over the spot a fly blister about the size of a five cent piece, and keep it 
on for six or ei2:ht hours, at the expiration of which time, directly under 
the surface of the blister will be found the felon, which may be easily 
taken out with the point of a lancet or needle. 

Scarlet Fever. 
Give the patient warm lemonade with gum arable dissolved in it. A 
cloth wrung out of hot water and laid upon the stomach, should be 
renewed as often as it becomes cool. 

Whooping Cougli. 
After the cough has continued about two weeks, have the patient 

vaccinated. 

Use of Ice. 

In health no one ought to drink ice-water, for it has occasioned fatal 

inflamation of the stomach and bowels, and sometimes sudden death. 

The temptation to drink it is very great in summer ; to use it at all with 

any safety, the person should take but a singh swallow at a time, take 

the glass from the lips half a minute, and then another swallow, and so 

on. It will be found that in this way it becomes disagreeable after a few 

minutes. 

Ice In a Sick-Room. 

Mention is made in a foreign paper of a plan pursued by an ingenious 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 173 

physician for insuring a supply of ice for use in sick-rooms during the 
hottest nights, and without disturbing the patient. This plan is to tmt 
a piece of flannel about nine inches square, and secure it with string 
round the mouth of an ordinary tumbler, so as to leave a cup-shaped 
depression of flannel within the tumbler to about half its depth. In the 
flannel so formed pieces of ice may be preserved many hours — all the 
longer if a piece of flannel from four to five inches square be used as a 
loose cover to the ice-cup. Cheap flannel, with comparatively open 
meshes, is preferable, as the water easily drains through it, and the ice 
is kept quite dry. 

Spring Suggestions. 

Do not take off your winter flannels sooner than the first of May, but 
then change to a thinner article of the same; material. They are wisest 
and healthiest who wear woolen flannel the whole year. Sailors Wtear it 
in all latitudes and at all seasons. Arrange to have a fire kept up all 
day in the family room, however warm it may be out of doors, until the 
first of May; and in the morning and evening until the first of June. 
This will pi event malarial diseases in the worst regions. It is because 
a brisk fire not only creates a draught, and thus purifies the air in the 
room, but so rarifies the deadly air that it is carried to the ceiling where 
it cannot be breathed. 

To Purify Rooms. 

To purify a room, and all rooms need it often, set a pitcher of water 
in the room, and in a few hours it will have absorbed all the respired 
gases in it, and the air of which will become pure, but the water utterly 
filthy. The colder the water, the greater its capacity to absorb these 
gases. At the ordinary temperature, a pail of water will contain a pint 
of carbonic acid gas, and several pints of ammonia. The capacity is 
nearly doubled by reducing the water to the temperature of ice. Hence 
water kept in a room a short time is unfit for use. For the same reason 
the water from a pump should always be pumped up in the morning 
before any of it is used. Impure water is much more injurious than 
impure air. 



174 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Bad Breath. 

A weak solution of the permanganate of potassa is recommended to 

deodorize your breath. 

Use of Lemons. 

When persons are feverish and thirsty beyond what is natural, indi- 
cated in some cases by a metallic taste in the mouth, especially after 
drinking water, or by a whitish appearance of the greater part of the 
surface of the t.-ngue, one of the best " coolers," is to take a lemon, cut 
off the top, sf rinkle over it some loaf sugar, working it down into the 
lemon with a spoon, and then suck it slowly, sqeezing the lemon and 
adding more sugar, as the acidity increases from being brought up from 
a lower point. Invalids with feverishness, may take two or three lemons 
a day in this manner, with the most marked benefit, manifested by a 
sense of coolness, comfort and invigoiation. A lemon or two thus taken 
at " teatime," is an entire substitute for the ordinary supper of summer, 
and would give many a man a comfortable night's sleep, and an appetite 
for breakfast, to which they are strangers, who will have their cup of 
tea, or supper of " relish ' ' and " cake," and berries, or peaches, and 

cream. 

Remedy for Sore Tbroat. 

Dissolve a tablespoonful of salt in about half a glass of water, and 

with this gargle the throat just before meal time. 

Popular Medicines. 

Composition Powders. — Take of powdered bayberry root one pound 
powdered ginger one half pound, powdered cayenne and cloves, each 
one ounce. Mix by passing through a sieve. 

Hot Drops. — Take of capsicum (powd.) one ounce, myrrh (contus.) 
four ounces, alcohol two pints. Displace. 

Harlm Oil. — 01. sulphurat three pints, Petrol, barbadens one 
pint, ol. succin. (crude) one and a half pint, ol. terebinth, eight pints, ol. lini 
four pints. Mix. 

Opodeldoc. — Take of common soap sliced three ounces. Camphor 
an ounce. Oil of rosemary, oil of origanum, each a drachm, alcohol a 
pint. Digest the soap, by means of a sand bath, with the alcohol till it 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 175 

is dissolved, then add the camphor and oils, and when they are dissolved 
pour the liquid into wide-mouth two ounce bottles. 

TOILET PREPARATIONS. 

Best Cologne. — Take oil of bergamont one wineglassful. Oil of 
neroli one dessertspoonful. Oil of jessamine one tablespoonful. Oil 
of garden lavender one wineglassful. Oil of cinnamon one drop. Ben- 
zoated tincture three ounces. Tincture of musk one tablespoonful. 
Deodorozcd alcohol one gallon. Rose-water two pints. Mix and allow 
the preparation to stand a long time before filtering for use. 

Common Cologne. — Take oil of lavender two tablespoonfulls. Oil 
of rosemary one tablespoonful. Oil of lemon one ounce. Oil of cin- 
namon one drop. Alcohol one gallon. Mix. 

Camphorated Acetic Acid. — Take of camphor, half ounce. 
Acetic acid 6^ ounces. Pulverize the camphor by means of a few drops 
of spirits of wine, and dissolve it in the acetic acid. Used as a fumi- 
gativc in fevers, an embrocation in rheumatism, and a refreshing and 
pungent perfume. 

Aromatic Vinegar. — A pungent and reviving perfume, formerly 
esteemed a preventive of contagion. Take of acetic acid, very strong, 
camphor in powder, oil of cloves, of each a sufficient quantity. Mix 
them and secure in a well-stoppered bottle. 

Prevetive Vinegar. — A toilet preparation, to be mixed with water 
for lavatory purposes and the bath. Take of brandy, one pint, oil of 
fcloves one drachm, oil of lavender one drachm, oil of majoram one-half 
drachm, gum benzoin one ounce. Macerate together for a few hours, 
then add brown vinegar two pints, and strain or filter, if requisite to be 
bright. 

Vinaigre de Cologne. — To Eau de Cologne one, pint add, strong 
acetic acid one-half ounce, filter if necessary. These may be varied by 
substituting any other perfume, such as orange-flower or verbena water, 
observing, where either of these perfumed vinegars is required to pro- 
duce opalescense when added to water it should contain myrrh, benzoin 
or Tolu. 



176 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Tooth Powder — Take 'precipitated chalk three ounces, powdered myrrh 
and orris root, each, one ounce, powdered borax, one-half ounce. Thor- 
oughly powder the ingredients and mix them through a fine sieve. 

Charcoal Powder. — Take of recently burnt charcoal, in fine powder 
6 parts, powdered myrrh, and powdered cinchona bark (pale), each, one 
part. Mix thoroughly. 

Charcoal Tooth-Paste. — Take of chlorate of potassa a half drachm, 
mint water one ounce. Triturate to form a solution, then incorporate 
-with — powdered charcoal two ounces, honey one ounce. 

Cuttle Fish Powder. — Take of powdered cuttle fish one-half 
pound, precipitated carbonate of lime one pound, powdered orris one- 
half pound, oil of lemons one ounce, oil of neroli one-half drachm. 
Thoroughly powder and mix. 

A Superior Mouth Wash. — Take of old white Castile soap two 
drachms, alcohol three ounces, honey one ounce, perfume four ounces. 
Dissolve the soap in the alcohol, and add the honey and perfume. 

Violet Mouth Wash. — Take of tincture of orris one-half pint, 
esprit de rose one-half pint, spirit one -half pint, oil of bitter almonds 
five drops. 

Essence or Spirit op Mustard. — Take of black mustard two parts, 
water four parts, alcohol one part. Mascerate and distil one part of 
spirit. To be added to hair washes to supply sulphur to the hair and 
stimulate its growth. 

Perfumed Hair Oil. — Take of castor oil ten ounces, very strong 
alcohol two ounces, essence of jessamine two drachms. Mix. 

Any other essential oil may be substituted for the essence of jessa- 
mine, and we usually lable the vials according to their perfume, and 
color the rose oil red. 

Hair Restorative. — Take for castor oil six ounces, alcohol twenty 
six ounces. Dissolve, then add — tincture of cantharides (made strong 
with alcohol) one ounce, essense of jessamine (or other perfume) one- 
half ounce. Mix. This preparation has the property of rendering the 
hair soft and glossy, at the same time that, by its tonic and stimulant 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 177 

properties it tends to arrest its premature decay. To accomplish this it 
should be rubbed thoroughly into the roots at least once a day. 

Pomade. — Take of purified lard four pounds, suet two pounds, oil of 
lemon one ounce, oil of bergamont one-half ounce, oil of cloves three 
drachms. Melt the greases then beat them up with a whisk or wooden 
spatula for half an hour or more, to make the mass white and spongy; 
perfume with the oils. 

Phllicome. — Take of white wax five ounces, almond oil two pounds, 
oil of bergamont one ounce, oil of lemon one-half ounce, oil of laven- 
der two drachms, oil of cloves one drachm. Melt the wax and oil, stir 
as the mixture cools, and add the perfume. 

Hair Dye. — An excellent application for the hair. Take per- 
cipited sulphur, and ^acetate of lead, each, one drachm, rose water 
four ounces. Triturate together in a mortar. This is not an instanta- 
neous dye, but should be applied twice a day till it gradually restores 
the color to its natural shade. The addition of half an ounce of 
glycerine will take from it a drying property which is undesirable. 

Bandoline. — Take of gum tragacanth (choice) six ounces, rose water 
one gallon, otto of rose one-half ounce. Steep the gum in the water, 
agitating from time to time as it swells into a gelatinous mass; then 
carefully press through a coarse, clean linen cloth, and incorporate the 
otto of rose thoroughly through the soft mass. 



BEES AISTD BEE-KEEPIIsra, 



CHAPTER XII. 



The following instructions are from King's Bee Keepers Text Book: 

"The Queen bee is a perfectly developed female, and the prolific 
parent of the whole colony — the mother of every bee it contains. "The 
Mother Bee" is the most appropriate and truthful name, as laying eggs 
appears to be the sole end of her existence, and the only duty she has to 
perform. This fact is beautifully demonstrated by removing a native 
and introducing an Italian queen in her stead. If the change is made in 
November, few common bees will remain by the following May; or if 
m^de in June, the yellow workers will begin to appear in a few weeks, 
and by September scarcely a black bee can be found in the hive. In the 
height of honey gathering and under the most favorable circumstances 
the queen bee will deposit about three thousand eggs per day. She is 
distinguished from the others by her form, size and color, being longer,and 
darker upon the back than either the drone or the worker. But the 
Italian queen is much lighter than the Italian drone or worker, the larger 
part of her body being of a golden yellow. 

The queen is of slender structure, with comparatively short wings, and 
is usually recognized by her measured matronly movements, and by her 
long,finely tapering abdomen. 

She usually lives from three to four years. If her death occurs when 
there are drones in the apiary and young worker brood or eggs in the 
hive, or if she is soon to leave the hive with a first swarm, the workers 
construct large cells, supplying themseives with "royal jelly," and the 
eggs or larvae that would otherwise produce worker bees are developed 
into queens. Only one queen is allowed to remain in the hive. The queen 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 179 

has a curved sting but will use it only when contending with other queens, 
as she cannot tolerate a rival queen in the hive. 

THE DRONE. 

The drones are somewhat shorter, though more bulky, than the queen, 
and, unlike her, their wings are long enough to cover the entire abdomen. 
They are much larger than the workers, and have a clumsy, uncouth 
appearance. When flying, their loud, boistrous hum is easily recognized. 
Being without a sac for carrying honey, or grooves on their thighs for 
carrying pollen, they are physically disqualified for performing the labor 
of the hive. Their proboscis is too short for extracting the nectar from 
flowers and being destitute of a sting, they cannot assist in protecting 
the stores from robbery. They are called into existence at the approach 
of the swarming season to fertilize the young queens. As impregnation 
is eff"ected while on the wing, the drones leave the hive in considerable 
numbers about noon, on fine days, and the young queens make their 
excursions soon afterward. Whenever the service is supposed to be 
accomplished for the season, they are relentlessly driven forth and des- 
troyed by the workers. A stock of bees that has lost its queen and not 
reared another, will retain the drones after all others are destroyed, and 
frequently throughout the winter. Without drones the young queens 
would remain barren, and the race soon become extinct. The number of 
drones in a hive is often very large, amounting to hundreds and even to 
thousands. In a state of nature, or where but one or two hives are kept 
a greater proportion of drones are necessary, as the young queen, when 
making her "bridal trip," should be sure of a speedy meeting, for, when 
roaming about in search of one, she is more liable to accidents. Wliere 
several colonies are kept, if each rear a few dozen drones there will be 
enough, in the aggregate, for all practical purposes. In movable comb 
hives all excess of drone comb should be removed, and the production of 
useless consumers thus prevented. 

THE WORKER. 

The workers, although the most diminutive in size, of the three classes, 
are alike the wonder and admiration of the student of nature. 



180 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

Upon them devolves all the labor of collecting and defending the stores 
building comb, feeding and protecting the queen and brood, and expell- 
ing the drones when they are no longer necessary to the well being of 
the colony. In short, they rule and regulate the whole economy of the 
hive, performing all the offices except those which have direct reference 
to the reproduction of the species. 

The cells in which the workeis are reared, are the smallest m size, 
those for the drones nearly one-third larger, and a queen cell still larger 
and of peculiar form, requiring as much material for its construction as 
fifty worker cells. In strong colonies, having plenty of stores, the 
queen will often deposit eggs every month in the year, the least brood 
being reared between October and January. During this time the brood 
often occupies a small circle in the center of the cluster of bees exactly 
opposite on each side of a comb. Smaller circles are next occupied in 
the two adjoining combs. The circle of eggs in the next comb is then 
enlarged, and more added in others, continuing to spread to other combs, 
keeping the distance from the center or place of beginning to the outside 
of the circle about equal on all sides. The effect of this is to produce a 
concentration and economy of the animal heat for developing the various 
changes of the brood. 

NATURAL SWARMING 

The issue of natural swarms is almost wholly dependent upon warm 
growing weather. June is the great swarming month in the northern 
states. Yet when the spring is unusually favorable, we get an occasional 
swarm as early as the middle of May, and many about the last of that 
month. Again swarming may not commence until July. Bees will 
often rear drones, construct queen cells and be just on the point of 
swarming, when a few days of bad weather will cause the drones and 
embryo queens to be destroyed, and swarming will be postponed indefi- 
nitely. As much time must be spent in preparation when this occurs, 
it will require several weeks before swarms can issue, though the weather 
be ever so favorable. 

The first warm clear day is generally improved, when the mass of the 
workers, after haststily filling their sacs with provisions for the journey, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 181 

rush pell mell from the hive, accompanied by the queen, with great noise 
and confusion. 

After flying a short time they generally cluster on some overhanging 
branch, more or less elevated. Hives should be kept in readiness, as 
success depends greatly upon promptness in hiving swarms as thej' issue, 
for if left hanging in the heat of the sun, they soon become impatient 
and often fly off and are lost in consequence. 

HIVING BEES. 

The process of hiving is extremely simple and pretty generally under- 
stood; if the new hive is cool and clean, the bees are not long in taking 
possession of it. If the swarm has clustered on a tree or bush near the 
ground, spread down a sheet or piece of canvas directly under or as near 
the swarm as practicable. If the common hive is used place a board two 
feet square upon the end of the sheet, and upon that your hive. Have 
the hive raised about an inch from the board with strips or blocks of 
wood. If convenient, the hive may now be lifted and the swarm jarred 
gently into it and then carefully replaced upon the board, or the bees 
may be shaken upon the sheet from in front of the hive. 

HATCHING QUEENS. 

In about eight days after the old queen leaves with the first swarm, 
the most advanced sealed queen is ready to emerge. During this time 
the old stock is without a hatched queen. The young queen upon leav- 
ing her cell, if not restrained by the workers, commences the work of 
destruction upon her yet imprisoned sisters. She accomplishes this by 
biting open the side of each cell near its base, and dispatching the un- 
fortunate inmate with her sting. She is yet incompetent for maternal 
duty, and must leave the hive to meet the drones in the air for the pur- 
pose of fertilization. This once accomplished, the workers, awaiting a 
safe return, greet her with reverence and affection never shown before. 
They hasten to prepare cells to receive her tiny eggs, and seem to realize 
that on her the existance and perpetuation of the family depends There 
is also^a perceptible change in the queen's form, her abdomen being a 



182 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

little swollen and somewhat lengthened, but not as much as at the height 
of the breeding season. She now remains the fruitful mother of the 
prosperous and happy colony. 

LOSS OF QUEENS 

If the queen is lost or removed from the colony, when there are 
eggs or young larvae in the worker combs and drones in the apiary, the 
workers almost immediately commence to construct queen cells to repair 
the loss. 

If any colony seems unusually excited, see it again in the evening and 
next morning, and if still suspicious, go to a stock that has swarmed 
within a week,invert it, drive the bees down with smoke and cut out a 
sealed queen-cell, which may be given to a queenless stock by fitting it 
into one of the brood-combs near the cluster of bees. Care must be 
taken not to injure the cell by pressure, or to leave its point resting on 
the comb. But if such cell cannot be found, take in its stead, from a 
stock having a fertile queen, a small piece of worker comb containing 
eggs and larvae. Grive this to the queenless stock by fitting it into an 
opening in one of the brood-combs or fastening it between two of them 
up among the bees. If fastened between the combs, let the cells which 
contain the eggs be placed in a vertical position with the open end down. 
With movable comb hives the case is different. By their use we may 
easily ascertain the condition of the colony at any time. In such hives, 
all stocks that have unimpregnated queens should be examined about 
the twelfth day from the time the first swarm left, and if no eggs are to 
be found in the combs by the fifteenth day, the stock is probably 
queenless. Give them a reserve fertile queen or queen-cell, if either is 
at hand. If not, take from another hive a frame of worker comb which 
contains eggs and young brood, and place it near the center of the hive 
which is without a queen. Queens ordinarily lose their fertility or die 
of old age when from three to four years old. If this happens in winter 
or early spring, break up the colony, before its stores tempt others bees 
to robbery, giving the bees to another colony. Such a stock can seldom 
be induced to rear a queen at this season if furnished with material, and 
even though it should, the bees would nearly all be gone before she 



the£homestead manual. 183 

could replenish its wasted ranks, should she eventually chance to prove 
fertile. 

QUIETING AND HANDLING BEES' 

Before a swarm issues from a hive the bees fill their sacs with honey 
to last them on their journey and aid them in establishing their new 
home. While thus filled, they are uncomonly good natured and obliging, 
seldom showing any rough points of character. Yet lest some luckless 
wight may have been sleeping on the outside of the hive while his com- 
rades were filling their jackets within, we will give the clustered swarm 
a slight sprinkling with diluted honey or sweetened water. If they were 
docile and tractable before, they are doubly so now. W.e may shake the 
bees down, hunt out their queen, or perform with them any operation we 
wish, and they will not sting^us unless we compel them to do so. Here 
we have the true explanation of all the charms, secrets and recipes for 
taming' bees, with which unprincipled venders have long humbugged a 
too credulous public. The whole art of "taming" is embodied in the 
following: 

A honey bee tilled with liquid sweets will not sting of its own accord. 

Bees, when frightened, will generally fill themselves with honey, and 
if given liquid sweets will always accept them. 

Bees may be frightened thus: 

By blowing upon them the smoke of punk, tobacco or cotton. 

By confining them to the hive and rapping the sides lightly with a 
small stick. At first the bees will try to get out, but finding that im- 
possible, they will rush to their stores and fill themselves with honey. 

SURPLUS HONEY STORED IN BOXES. 

Those having bees in common hives, and all who wish their honey 
stored in boxes, will obtain the greatest amount of honey and avoid dis- 
appointments by attending to the following conditions: 

The boxes should be tight and large, but not over four or five inches 
high, and protected from the weather by an outer cap. 

The bees should be induced to commence in them by attaching pieces 
of clean empty comb to the under side of the top, and placing the boxes 



184 THE HOMESTTBAD MANTIAL. 

directly over the breeding apartment, with large openings under each of 
the boxes to admit the bees. 

Early in the season select a few populous stocks, giving a box to each 
one, and when the bees have commenced in them, 2:ive the box to the 
next strongest, being careful not to give too much room till a start has 
been made. 

Keep the hives cool by shading from the sun, and if the bees cluster 
on the outside, when flowers are plenty, ventilate by enlarging the holes 
and giving more room in the boxes if needed. 

TO REMOVE HONEY AND EXPEL BEES. 

Near sunset remove the cap and raise the end of the box just enough 
to blow under a little smoke, when the bees will leave the holes, which 
may be covered with blocks or an empty box turned bottom up. Set the 
full boxes right side up on strips upon the stand, so that they shall be 
three-eighths of an inch from the board, and five or six inches from the 
entrance of the hive. Gently rap on the boxes until the bees begin to 
leave in good earnest for the hive. Being filled with honey there is no 
danger of their stinging from the rough treatment received. The hum- 
ming of those that enter will give notice to the others of their position 
near their home. Should some remain in the boxes they may be left 
till morning if the weather is fine, but must be removed early, lest 
the bees begin carrying the honey into the hive. If preferred, the boxes 
may be placed upon their sides in a tight box or barrel, and a thin cloth 
thrown over the top. Seeing the light, the bees will creep up on the 
cloth, and this be turned over occasionally all except a few young ones 
will find their way back to the hive. 

WHEN AND HOW TO SWARM THE BEES. 

Every populous stock, from which a nucleus has been formed, should 
be swarmed, if the weather is favorable, as soon as the queen in the nu- 
cleus has become fertile. This is usually in from six to ten days after 
inserting the queen-cell, and is readily determined by examining the 
comb for eggs. We now, unless the yield of honey is very abundant, 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 185 

confine the young queen in a gauze wire cage. Having filled up the nu- 
cleus hive with empty frames, exchange the places of the two hives, and 
bring the entrance of the nucleus hive where the old hive stood, and 
where the mass of the old bees will return from the fields, thus throwing 
out of the old stock swarms of workers into the nucleus hive, while the 
old bees from the nucleus will enter the old hive and minister to the 
wants of the numerous brood of the parent stock. The bees must not 
be swarmed between the hatching and fertilization of the young queen, 
and should they be swarmed when the honey harvest has received a check 
from a storm or drought, the bees thus empty of honney and consequent- 
ly more quarrelsome, being suddenly thrown into the presence of a new 
queen, (although of the same scent) are inclined to sting her. To pre- 
vent this she is caged for thirty- six hours, when the bees from the older 
stock will mostly have joined the nucleus colony; and she may safely be 
liberated. But if she was taken from another nucleus, we sometimes 
let her remain caged a day longer, or smear her with warm honey and 
let her in among the bees. They immediately commence licking her and 
forget to sting her. 

WINTERING IN THE OPEN AIR. 

In October, the exact condition of the stocks should be ascertained, 
both as to their strength and their supply of stores for the winter. If 
any are found lacking in both these points, join two together or strengthen 
them with bees obtained from neighbors, and supply them with extra 
food. To insure the safety of the stocks till flowers bloom in spring, 
each should have twenty-five pounds of honey. With a little practice, 
the amount of stores may be very nearly determined by inspection, or by 
lifting the cap and removing the hive from the stand. However, if the 
combs are more than one year old there is much liability of being deceived^ 
when judging by lifting and weighing the hive. The reasons are that 
old combs are heavier than new, and often contain large quantities of 
bee bread. Still the experienced bee-keeper will seldom err in his esti- 
of winter supplies. Should any lack stores, give them a reserve frame 
of sealed honey, or if this cannot be done, and other stocks are very full 



186 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

exchange a frame with each. If the lower part of such combs are empty, 
they may be placed near the center of the needy stocks, as there should 
be honey directly above the bees; but if full place them a little to one 
side of the cluster, for the reason that the bees need empty cells to win- 
ter in. The comb in each frame should have an inch hole cut through 
it four or five inches from the top, to enable the bees, in extreme cold 
weather to reach their stores in the outside combs without any danger of 
of freezing, by leaving the cluster to crawl around the outside of the 
frame. 

When there are cross-pieces, as in the improved comb frame, the bees 
seldom fail to leave openings above the cross pieces, which serve as the 
winter passages. Upward ventilation should be provided for strong win- 
ter stocks, by covering the hole in the top with a piece of wire cloth, 
and filling the basin with fine cut straw or shavings. This will absorb 
the moisture generated by the bees, thus keeping the combs dry and free 
from frost, while it permits the foul air to pass off so gradually, that 
Cold currents in the hive are avoided. Stocks standing in exposed situ- 
ations, may be greatly benefitted by enclosing the hives, except the 
entrance, with caps made of flags or rye straw being careful to exclude 
the mice. Set up a broad board to shade the hive, and especially the 
entrance, during the middle of the day. If this be done, the bees will 
seldom leave the hive when the air is cool enough to chill them. When 
a judicious method of swarming has been pursued, and the colonies well 
cared for, they should be populous and well provisioned for the v/inter, 
requiring little trouble in getting ready, or risk in keeping them through 
till spring Such stocks, if shielded from the peircing wintry winds, and 
well ventilated, will pass a Siberian winter uninjured. Bees should not 
be disturbed during the winter, except at the close of every long spell 
of cold weather; when, if the air be warm enough for them to fly without 
being chilled, open all the entrances, allowing the rays of the sun to hit 
the alighting board, when the bees will fly out, void their feces and then 
return, without loss to the hive. 

WINTERING BEES IN CELLARS. 

}: The object of wintering bees in cellars, is to have them in a place of 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 187 

even temperature, and just cool enough to keep them in a state of inac- 
tivity, thereby saving many bees, and greatly lessening the consumption 
of honey. A cellar for this purpose should be dry, and the hives raised 
from the floor, to guard against the comb becoming mouldy from excess 
of dampness. The cellar should be divided by a curtain or other par- 
tition, that no ray of light may reach the hive when the door is opened. 
The bees should not be taken in until it is evident that winter has 
commenced in earnest. The hives, if numerous, may be placed on shelves, 
one above the other, and strong stocks must have abundant upward ven- 
tilation. If the stocks are in the movable comb hive, this will be well 
secured by leaving off" the caps, and leaving open the passages through 
the top bars of the frames. Also, the ventilator below the bottom board 
should be left unobstructed. A piece of wire cloth or thin muslin, four- 
teen by fifteen inches square, may be tacked on top of the hive to confine 
the bees, yet this would be unnecessary if the proper degree of tempera- 
ture were always maintained, and the light carefully excluded. When 
the stocks are in common hives, four or five boles should be bored with 
an inch bit,through the top of the hive and cevered with wire cloth. 
Inch strips should then be laid upon the shelves, and the hives placed 
upon them in an inverted position. Weak stocks, but partly filled with 
comb, need less ventilation. In mild weather the air may sometimes be 
purified by opening the door at night. The temperature should not be 
allowed to fall to the freezing point, yet forty or fifty stocks enclosed in 
a small space generate much heat, and may sometimes become uncom- 
fortably warm, which will be known by the uneasy movement of the bees. 
They should be examined occasionally through the winter, to see that all 
is right, but disturbed as little as possible. As spring approaches, the 
strong stocks become more uneasy, and should be taken to their summer 
stands, during the first warm days of March, setting out a few stocks at 
a time to avoid confusion by mixing until each has marked its location. 



THE AMERICAIS^ GOYERXMEJ^T. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



The Gi-eneral Grovernment of the United States consists of the Exec- 
utive, Legislative and Judicial Departments. 

The Executive consists of the President — who is elected for four 
years, and receives a salary of $50,000 a year. 

Vice-President elected for four years — salary $8,000. 

The Cabinet consists of a Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, 
Secretary ©f War, Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Interior, 
Postniaster General and Attorney General, whose salaries are $8,000 
each. 

The Legislative Department consists of a House of Representatives 
and Senate. The House of Representatives is composed of 293 mem- 
bers who are elected by Districts — each State being represented in pro- 
portion to its population as follows: 



STATES. MEMBERS. 

Alabama 8 

Arkansas 4 

Califoruia 4 

Colorado 1 

Connecticut 4 

Delaware 1 

Florida 2 

Georgia 9 

Illinois 19 

Indiana 13 

Iowa 9 

Kentucky 10 

Louisiana 6 

Maine 5 

Maryland 5 

Massachusetts 11 

Michigan 9 

Minnesota 3 

Missiasippi 6 



STATES. MEMBERS. 

Missouri 13 

Nebraska 1 

N evada 1 

N ew Hampshii-e 3 

New Jersey • 7 

New York 33 

North Carolina 8 

Ohio 30 

Oregon 1 

Pennsylvania 27 

Rhode Island 3 

South Carolina 5 

Tennessee 10 

Texas 6 

Vermont 3 

Virginia 9 

West Virginia 3 

Wisconsin 8 



The Senate consists of two members from each State, elected by the 
Legislature, and serving six years. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 189 

The compensation of members of Congress is fixed by law at $5,000 
per year, and twenty cents per mile each session to and from Washing- 
ton, and an $125 each per annum for stationery. 

Each territory is entitled to one delegate in Congress, who is not 
entitled to vote. 

THE JUDICIARY DERARTMENT. 

This consists of a Supreme Court, Circuit and District Courts. There 
are nine Supreme Judges, nine Circuit Judges, and fifty-three District 
Judges, all of whom are appointed by the President, subject to confirma- 
tion by the Senate, and hold their offices during life. The salary of the 
Supreme Judges is $10,000 each. Circuit Judges $6,000, District Judges 
from $3,000 to $4,000 each. 

PENSIONS FOR SOLDIERS. 

All surviving soldiers of the war of 1812, and all widows of deceased 
soldiers of the war of 18l2, are entitled to pensions at the rate of $8.00 
per month. All soldiers disabled in the military service of the United 
States, are entitled to pensions as long as the disability continues. The 
widows of all soldiers who died, or were killed while in the military 
service, or who have since died from any disability or disease contracted 
in the service are entitled to pensions, and all children of such soldiers are 
also entitled to pensions until they become sixteen years of age. Mothers 
and fathers of sons who were killed in the service are entitled to pen- 
sions only when they were dependent on the son, in whole or in part, for 
their support. 

It is not necessary to employ an attorney to procure a pension. The 
applicant should in all cases give the full name of the soldier, his Com- 
pany and Regiment, state the ground upon which a pension is claimed, 
giving his State, county and post office : direct to the Commissioner of 
Pensions, Washington, D. C. Blanks will be returned, which must be 
filled up and executed in strict compliance with the instructions accom- 
panying them, and when completed, returned to the Commissioner of 
Pensions. If more evidence is required, the applicant will be notified. 
In case the applicant employes an attornev, ten dollars is the legal fee 
he is entitled to for his services. 



190 THE^HOME STEAD MANUAL. 

THE PUBLIC LANDS. 

HOW TO ENTER, PRE-EMPT, TAKE A HOMESTEAD OR TREE CLAIM. 

The public lands of the United States which are still undisposed of 
and open to settlement lie in nineteen States and eight Territories. In 
each case, except Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, the Indian Territory, and 
Alaska, land offices are established, in charge of a man known as Reg- 
ister of the Land Office, where the records of all surveyed lands are 
kept, and all applications concerning lands in each district are filed and 
inquries answered. The public lands are divided into two great classes. 
The one class have a dollar and a quarter an acre designated as the min- 
imum price, and the other two dollars and a half an acre. Titles to 
these lands may be acquired by private entry or location under the 
homestead, pre-emption and timber-culture laws ; or, as to some classes, 
by purchase for cash, in the case of lands which may be purchased at 
private sale, or such as have not been reserved under any law. Such 
tracts are sold on application to the Land Register, who issues a cer- 
tificate of purchase, the Receiver giving a receipt for the money paid, 
subject to the issue of a patent, or complete title, if the proceedings are 
found regular, by the Commissioner of the General land office at Wash- 
ington. 

Entries under the land warrants (given mostly for military services 
under acts of Congress) have fallen ofi" very largely by the absorption of 
such warrant, there having been no military bounty land warrants pro- 
vided for on account of services in the late civil war. 

Entries under the pre-emption law are restricted to heads of families, 
or citizens over twenty-one, who may settle upon any quarter-section (or 
160 acres) and have the right of prior claim to purchase on complying 
with certain regulations. 

The homestead laws give the right to one hundred and sixty acres of 
a dollar and a quarter lands, or to eighty acres of two dollar and a half 
lands, to any citizen or applicant for citizenship over twenty-one who will 
actually settle upon and cultivate the land. This privilege extends 
only to the surveyed lands, and the title is perfected by the issue of a 
patent after five years of actual settlement. The only charges in the 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 191 

case of homestead entries are fees and commissions, varying from a min- 
imum of $7 to a maximum of $22 for the whole tract entered, according 
to the size, value or place of record. 

Another large class of free entries of public lands is that provided 
for under timber culture acts of 1872-78. The purpose of these laws 
is to promote the growth of forest trees on public lands. They give the 
right to any settler who has cultivated in two years as much as five acres 
of trees, to an eighty-acre homestead, or if ten acres, to a homestead of 
one hundred and sixty acres, and a free patent for his land is given him 
at the end of three years instead of five. The limitation of the home- 
stead laws to one hundred and sixty acres for each settler is extended in 
the case of timber culture so as to grant as many quarter sections of one 
hundred and sixty acres each as have been improved by the culture for 
ten years^^qf forty acres of timber thereon, but the quarter sections 
must not lie immediately contiguous. 

SALE AND PURCHASE OF LAND. 

All contracts for the sale or purchase of real estate, must be in writ- 
ing. 

Never buy a farm or lot without^first having a complete abstract show- 
ing the chain of title from the entry in the Government land office up 
to the date of purchase. The abstract should be made out by a careful, 
competent and reliable abstractor. It should show all conveyances in 
detail and in the order they were made. It should show all mortgages, 
all liens or judgments in the various courts, all delinquent taxes, or 
mechanic's liens, or if there are none, it must be so certified. As soon 
as a deed for land is received, or a mortgage executed, they should be 
recorded in the county record^of Deeds and Mortgages without a moments 
delay. Many heavy losses have arisen from neglect to have convey- 
ances properly recorded. A chattel mortgage should be immediately 
recorded. All agreements for the lease of land should be in writing and 
signed by all parties in interest, each party keeping a copy of the same. 
All agreements for the purchase of growing timber or crops should be in 
writing, as they pass with the sale of the land unless expressly reserved 
by a written instrument. j^ As a general and safe rule— ^every thing 



192 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

agreed upon in a contract or an agreement should be written out dis- 
tinctly, and care should be taken to say all that is meant, and just what 
is meant, and nothing else ; for it is a rule of law that no oral tes- 
timony shall control a written agreement, unless fraud can be proved. 
Against fraud nothing stands. 

As a rule, all written instruments are construed and interpreted by 
law, according to the simple, customary and natural meaning of the 
words used. 

ABSTRACT OF IOWA LAWS. 

TAXATION OF PROPERTY. 

The owners of personal property, on the first day of January of each 
year, and the owners of real property on the first day of November of 
each year, are liable for the taxes thereon. 

The following property is exempt from taxation, viz.: 

All animals not hereafter specified, the wool shorn from sheep belonging 
to the person giving the list, his farm produce, harvested within one 
year previous to the listing; private libraries not exceeding three hund- 
red dollars in value; family pictures, kitchen furniture, beds and bed- 
ding requisite for each family, all wearing apparel in actual use, and all 
food provided for the family; but no person from whom a compensation 
for board or lodging is received or expected, is to be considered a mem- 
ber of the family within the intent of this clause. 

The polls or estates or both of persons who, by reason of age or 
infirmity, may, in the opinion of the assessor, be unable to contribute to 
the public revenue; such opinion and the fact upon which it is based 
being in^all cases reported to the Board of Equalization by the assessor 
or any other person, and subject to reversal by them. 

The farming^ utensils] of any person who makes his livelihood by 
farming; and the tools of any mechanic, not in either case to exceed 
three hundred dollars in value. 

Grovernment lands entered or located or lands purchased from this 
State, should not be taxed for the year in which the entry, location or 
pui chase is made. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 193 

There is also a suitable exemption, in amount, for planting fruit trees 
or forest trees or hedges. 

Where buildings are destroyed by fire, tornado, or other unavoidable 
casualty, after being assessed for the year, the Board of Supervisors 
may rebate taxes for that year on the property destroyed, if same has 
not been sold for taxes, and if said taxes have not been delinquent for 
thirty days at the time of destruction of the property, and the rebate 
shall be allowed for such loss only as is not covered by insurance. 

All other property is subject to taxation. 

The Township Board of Equalization shall meet the first Monday in 
April of each year. Appeal lies to the Circuit Court. 

The County Board of Equalization (the Board of Supervisors) meet 
at their regular session in June of each year. Appeal lies to the Circuit 
Court. 

Taxes become delinquent February 1st of each year, payable, without 
interest or penalty, at any time before March 1st of each year. 

Tax sale is held on first Monday in October in each year. 

Redemption may be made at any time within three years after date of 
sale, by paying to the County Auditor the amount of sale, and twenty 
per centum of such amount immediately add*'d as penalty, with ten per 
cent, interest per annum on the whole amount thus made from the day 
of sale, and also all subsequent taxes, interest and costs paid by pur- 
chaser after March 1st of each year, and a similar penalty of twenty 
per centum added as before, with ten per cent, interest as before. 

If notice has been given, by purchaser, of the date at which the 
redemption is limited, the cost of same is added to the redemption 
money. Ninety days' notice is required, by the statute, to be published 
by the purchaser or holder of the certificate, to terminate the right of 
redemption. 

EXEMPTIONS FROM EXECUTION. 

A resident of the State and head of a family may hold the following 
property exempt from execution: All wearing apparel of himself anu 
family kept for actual use, and suitable to the condition, and the trunks 
or^other receptacles necessary to contain the same: one musket, or rifle, 

lOA 



194 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

and shot-gun; all private libraries, family Bibles, portraits, pictures, 
musical instruments, and paintings not kept for the purpose of sale; a 
seat or pew occupied by the debtor or his family in any house of public 
worship; an interest in a public or private burying ground not exceed- 
ing one acre; two cows and a calf; one horse, unless a horse is exempt 
as hereinafter provided; fifty sheep and the wool therefrom, and the 
materials manufactured from said wool; six stands of bees; five hogs and 
all pigs under six months; the necessary food for exempted animals for 
six months; all flax raised from one acre of ground, and manufactures 
therefrom; one bedstead and necessary bedding for every two in the 
family; ull cloth iiianufactured by the defendant not exceeding one 
hundred yards; household |andf^kitchen furniture not exceeding two 
hundred dollars in value; all spinning wheels and looms; one sewing 
machine and other instruments of domestic labor kept for actual use; 
the necessary provisions and fuel for the use of the family for six 
months; the proper tools, instruments or books of the debtor, if a 
farmer, mechanic, surveyor, clergyman, lawyer, physician, teacher or 
professor; the horse, or team, consisting of not more than two horses 
or mules, or two yokes of ^cattle, /and the wagon or other vehicle, with 
the proper harness or tackle, by the use of which the debtor, if a phy- 
sician, public officer, farmer, teamster or other laborer, habitually earns 
his living; and to the debtor, if a printer, ^'there shall also be exempt a 
printing press and the types, furniture and material necessary for the 
use of such printing press, and a? newspaper office to the value of 
twelve hundred dollars; the earnings of such debtor, or those of his 
family, at any time within ninety days next preceding the levy. 

Persons unmarried and not the head of a family, and non-residents, 
have exempt their own ordinary wearing apparel and trunks to contain 
the same. 

There is also exempt;^to a head of a family, a homestead, not exceed- 
ing forty acres; or. if inside city limits, one-half acre with improve- 
ments, value not limited. The homestead is liable for all debts con- 
tracted prior to its aquisition as such, and is subject to mechanics' lieii& 
for work or material furnished for the same. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 195 

E STRAY ANIMALS.* 

Any swine, sheep, goat, horse, neat cattle or other animal distrained 
(for damage done to one's enclosure), when the owner is not known, 
shall be treated as an estray. 

Within five days after taking up an estray, notice containing a full 
description thereof, shall be posted up in three of the most public places 
in the township; and in ten days, the person taking up such estray shall 
go before a Justice of the Peace in the township and make oath as to 
where such estray was taken up, and that the marks or brands have not 
been altered, to his knowledge. The estray shall then be appraised, by 
order of the Justice, and the appraisement, description of the size, age, 
color, sex, marks and brands of the estray shall be entered by the Jus- 
tice in a book, kept for that purpose, and he shall, within ten days 
thereafter, send a certified copy thereof to the County Auditor. 

When the appraised value of an e"tray does not exceed five dollars, 
the Justice may not proceed further than to enter the description of 
the estray on his book, and if no owner appears within six months, the 
property shall vest in the finder, if he has complied with the law and 
paid all costs. 

Where appraised va^ue of estray exceeds five and is less than ten 
dollars, if no owner appears in nine months, the finder has the property, 
if he has complied with the law and paid costs. 

An estray, legally taken up, may be used or worked with care and 
moderation. 

If any person unlawfully take up an estray, or take up an estray and 
fail to comply with the law regarding estrays, or use or work it contra- 
ry to above, or work it before having it appraised, or keep such estray 
out of the county more than five days at one time, before acquiring 
ownership, such offender shall forfeit to the county twenty dollars, and 
the owner may recover double damages with costs. 



COISTTEISTTS. 



PAGE. 

Aconite, antidote for 166 

American Government 188 

Ammonia, antidote for 1G6 

U.-?es for 115,116 

Analine, dyes 138 

Qnantit}'^ required 138 

Eed 139 

Animals, life and growth of 124 

Anodyne mixture 16'3 

Anta-acid 162 

Apple dumplings 101 

Orchard 68 

Orchard, location of 68, 69 

Orchard, planting 71 

Orchard preparing ground for 70, 71 

Pulfet 101 

Trees, protecting from insects . . 71 

Varietiesof 69,70 

Water 169 

Arsenic, antidote for 167 

Artichoke 79 

Asparagus 79 

Axle Grease 155 

Bad breath 173 

Baked apples 113 

Baking powder 112 

Balsamic mixture 163 

Bandoline 177 

Barn and Granary 17 

Beans 79 

On sod 12 

Beef, pressed 87 

Roast 86 

Steak 86,87 

Tea 168 

Beets 79 

Belladonna, antidote for 166 

Bees and bee-keeping 178 

Hatching queen 181 

Hiving 181 

Loss of queen 182 

Natural swarming 180 

Quieting and handling 183 

Surplus honey 183 

The drone 179 

The qneen 178 

To remove honey and expel 184 

The worker 179 

When and how to swarm 184 

Wintering in cellars 186,187 

Wintering in the open air 185 

Bins, capacity of 125 

Biscuits, baking powder 94 

Quick graham 94 



PAGE. 

Blackberries 73 

Black, to revive the color of 118 

Blanc-mange, arrow-root 169 

Black walnut 52,57,58 

Durability of 57 

Bone felon, cure for 172 

Boned ham .' 87 

Boxes, capacity of 125 

Bread 91,92 

Amount from flour 130 

Graham 93 

Steamed brown 93, 94 

Breaking prairie 11 

Brown mixture 163 

Buckwheat, amount from a bushel 120 

On sod 12 

Butternut 59 

Butter-making 32,33 

Packages 33 

Packing 33 

Cabbage 80 

Coldslaw 90 

Dressing for chopped 90, 91 

Henderson summer 39 

Hot slaw 90 

Cabinet, the 188 

Cake, caramel 98 

Chocolate 98 

Cocoan ut 98 

Coffee 97 

Cornstarch 97 

Lemon 97 

Making and baking 95 

Marble 97 

Nut 98 

Plain 97 

Plain sponge 97 

Pound 97 

Snow 97 

Wedding 98 

Calomel, antidote for , 167 

Camphorated acetic acid 175 

Candy 156 

Kifcses 157 

Molasses 157 

Sugar 157 

Canned berries 106 

Fruits and vegetables 106 

Plums 106 

Tomatoes 107 

Tomatoes and corn 107 

Cantharides, antidote for 167 

Carpeted floors 154 

Carrots 80 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



197 



coTSTEfiTS—continuecL 



Catalpa 

Cathartic 

Cattle 


PAGE. 

52 

164 

22 

23 

23 

24 

24,25 

23 

34 

30,31 

23 

23 

25,26 

25 

32. 33 

17 

80 

147 

144 

143 

146 

145 

145 

145 

145 

147 

144 

147 

146 147 

144 
146 
146 
146 
145 

75 

35 

36. 37 

168 

87,88 

87 
111 
112 
164 

16 

41 
110 
1.58 
172 

33 
131 
114 
154 
115 
173 
130 
110 
130 

77 
138 
144 
143 
143 
143 


Cologne, best 

Common 

Cookies . . . 


PAGE. 

175 
175 
99 


Ayershire , 


Ginger 

Copperas, antidote for 


99 


Alderney 


167 




81 


Galloway 

Guernsey 

Hereford 

Holderncss 

Holstein 

Jersey 

Native 

Polled 

Short Horn 

Cellar 

Celery 

Cement, a useful 

Black, for bottles 


Corned beef 

Corn and pork, table showing prices. 

To measure in crib 

Corrosive sublimate, antidote for — 

Cotton, bleaching 

Cottonwood, uses of 

Crackers, butter 

Creamery 

Rules of 

Croup, simple remedy for 

Cubebs, mixture of 

Cucumbers 

Cnrrrants 

Dairy 


111 

121. 

134 

167 

135 

. 56, 57 

95 

32 

34 

172 

163 

80 

73 


Oiinpsip 


29 


For alabaster and plaster 


Breeds, comparison of 

Breed, the best 


30 
30 


For casks 


How to manage 


31. 32 
151 


For cistei'u-^' 


Disinfectant charcoal as a 


164 


For glass or china 

Fastening blade and files 


Green Vitriol 

Permanganate of potash 

Distances traveled, table 

Doura 

Dressing for sandwiches 

Ducks 

Muscovv 

Pekin.: 

Dyeing Bismaiick brown on cotton. . 

Bismarck brown on silk 

Bismarck brown on wool 

Blue on cotton 

Blue on silk 

Blue on wool 

i atechu brown 


165 
165 
133 


For leather 

For uniting jewels, glass and 

metals 

Egg 

German 


38 
112 
44 
44 
44 


To mend iron kettles and pans. . 
White lead 


143 
142 


Cherries 


142 


Cheese factories, cost of 


139 


Makiucr 

Chicken broth 

Pie 


139 

. 138.139 

143 


Pot-pie 

Salad 

Chiele Sauce 

ChiUjlains, lotion for 


Crimson . .... 


142 


Green, on silk 

Green, on wool 

Kettle used for, to clean 

Purple on cotton 

Purple on silk 

Purple on wool 

Red on cotton 

Red on silk 

Red on wool 

Scarlet on silk 

Scarlet on wool 

Violet on wool 

Yellow on silk 

Yellow on wool 

Dyspepsia, a bitter tonic for 


141 
141 
144 


Chimneys 


142 


China corn 


142 


Chocolate 

Caramels 


142 
140 


Choking, remedy for 

Churning 

Cisterns, cay ;city of 

Cleaning 


140 

. 139,140 

143 

. 142.143 


Clothes pin apton ... 


142 


Cloth, renovation of 


140 


Composition powdor 


140 


Coal, weight per bii 

Coffee 


161 

7 


Coke, weight per bu 


Egg and milk punch 

Eggs, how to keep and ship 

Number per annum 


170 


Cold frame 


46 


Coloring 

Cotton blue 


132 
89 


Cotton brown 

Cotton green 

Cotton red 


Scrambled 

Weight of and number laid — 
Emetic, salt and mustard 


89 
125 
165 



198 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



CONTENTS — continued. 



Emigration westward. 5 

Essence of mustard 176 

Estray animals 191 

Evergreens, how to plant 53 

Propagating and transplanting. .63,63,64 

Execution, exemption from 193 

Expectorants 163 

Eye-wash, alum 165 

Arnica 165 

Eye-water 164 

Fading, to prevent colors from 118 

Farm crops 18,19 

Homes 15,16 

Feed the soil 19 

Fences 194 

Fence, cost of 131 

Fever and ague mixture 161 

Powders, effervescing J62 

Fish, baked 88 

Flannel to shrink new 150 

Flax on sod 11 

Food, amount required for horses 123 

For the sick 168 

For stock, table showing compar- 

• ative value of 130 

Nutriment in. and time of diges- 
tion r. .. 133,1^4 

Forestry annual 51 

Forage plants 37 

Foundation 16 

Fowls, bantam 44 

Black Spanish 43 

Brahma 43 

Cochin China 43 

Dorking 43 

Hamburg 43 

Houdan 43 

Malay 42 

Plymouth Rock 43 

Poland 43 

Fuchsine 139 

Gargle, chlorate of Potash 165 

And mouth wash 164 

Of alum 164 

Garden, cultivation of 77 

Geese 44 

Brant 44 

Bremen 44 

Chinese 44 

Toulon 44 

Glue, liquid 147 

Gooseberries 73, 74 

Grade per mile, table 131 

Grain, power required to grind 120 

To measure in the bin 120 

To measure in granarv 124 

Weight of per bushel.". ISa 

Grapes 74 

Grass seed, amount neededfor an acre 79 

Weight per bu 130 

Grease spots, to remove 137 

Griddle cakes, graham 95 

Hair dye 177 

Oil, perfumed - 176 



Restorative 176 

Hard water, to soften 153 

H arlem oil 173 

Hay, measuring m bulk 130 

Table showing amount required 

per day for animals 130 

Hedge fences 64 

Hellebore, antidote for 166 

Hemp rope, weight it will bear 133 

Hogs, how to sell 133 

Home cooking 84 

Selecting a 13 

Homestead law 6 

How to enter a 190 

Honey locust 64 

Hope's camphor mixture 161 

Horses 20 

Arabian 21 

Clevehmd bav 32 

Clydesdale . .' 21 

Conestoga 32 

English draft 32 

Morgan 31 

Messenger 31, 32 

Percheron or Norman 30, 21 

House-cleaning 152 

House, location of 16 

Of Representatives 188 

Hot beds 76, 77 

Drops 173 

Hungarian grass 41 

Hydrophobia, cure for 172 

Ice cream, chocolate 108 

Coffee 108,109 

Lemon 109 

Raspberry 109 

Self freezing 107,108 

Strawberry 109 

Ice, currant and raspberry 109 

Lemon 109 

Orange 109 

Icing 96 

Ice. in sick room 172 

Raspberry or strawberry 109 

UL^eof 472 

Illinois prairies 9, 10 

Improvements, value of 14 

Indigestion, corrective of 162 

Ink.^xlizarine black 158 

Analine colored 158 

Black 158 

Blue patent 159 

Blue ruling 159 

Brown 160 

Chrome blue black 158 

Green 159 

Indelible 159 

Purple 160 

Red 160 

Secret 160 

Stains, to remove 118 

To remove 137,138 

Vanadium black 158 

Interest.. 195 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



199 



CONTENTS — continued. 

PAGE. 

168 



lodme^ antidote for 

Iowa, geology of ^^ » 

Climate of 10, 11 

Laws, abstract of 19^ 

Minerals of ._ IJ 

Iron and cinchona, a preparation of 161 

Holder ^^^-JJ! 

Jam, raspberry 10a 

Strawberry lOo 

Jelly, blackberry 104 

Chicken 169 

Currant l'^4 

Iceland or Irish moss 170 

Kaspberiv and currant 104 

~ ' ' ... 104 

168 
104 
94 
189 
119 
118 
58 
167 



Strawberry , 

Tapioca 

Wild cherry and currant, 

Johnny cake 

Judiciary Department 

Kid gloves, to clean 

Lace, black to wash 

Larch 

Laudanum, antidote for. 



Opodeldock 173 

Osage orange 53,64,65 

Oxalic acid, antidote for 166 

Parsnips • 82 

Paste 155 

Flour 149 

Paper banger's 149,150 

Peas 82 

Pensions for soldiers 189 

Phillicome 177 

Phosphorous, antidote for 167 



Pickles 
Pies , 



cucumber. 



Lemonade, flax seed 169 

Iceland or Irish moss 170 

Lemons, use of 173 

Lettuce 81 

Lightning rods, instructions for erect- 
ing ...." 156 

Lime antidote for 167 

Weight per bu 130 

Marking ink, to remove _ 137 

Marmalade, peach 105,106 

Meat cakes 88, 89 

Millet, German or golden 41 

Pearl or Egyptian 41 

Milk Punch 169 

Mississippi valley 7 

Morphine, antidote for 167 

Mortar, to make 147-148 

Mosquitos, heading off 157 

Mouth wash, a superior 176 

Violet 176 

Mucilagi- 149 

Muffins 94 

Graham 94 

Muriatic acid, antidote for 165 

Musk melon 81 

Muslin, to bleach 134 

Mutton broth .• 163 

Roast 

Nails, sizes of 



Apple 

Custard 

Lemon, 

Mince. 

Pieplant 

Pile ointment 

Plants, thinning 

Transplanting 

Plowing table of amount one team can 

do 

Table showing distance traveled 

in 

Plums 

Poison and antidotes 

Poisonous molds 

Pomade hair 

Pork, cost of 

Poplar, uses of 

Potash, antidote for 

Potatoe balls 

Croquettes 

Masked 

Saratoga 

To prevent, froin sprouting, 

Powdered glass ur metal, antidote for. 

Poultry 

How to dro<s t'or market 

Shipping live 

Prairie chicken, to fry 

Prairies, origin of 

Prairie states 

Preserved cherries. 



112 

99 

100 



100 



164 

77 

77 



123 

74 

165 

155 

177 

121 

50, 57 

166 

70 

90 

89 

90 

157 

168 

42 

45 

46 



104 



Nasturtium 

Neuralgia and Rheumatism, prescrip- 
tion for 

Nitrate of silver, antidote for 

Nitric acid, antidote for 

Oatmeal, amount from abusbel 

Musb 

Oil cloths to clean 

Onions 

Boiled 

Omelet 

Opium, antidote for 



.131,132 

81 

163 
167 
168 
120 
102 
119 



89 
167 



Preserving crab apples 103 

Preserves and .iellies ;... 

Preserved peaches 

Strawberries 

Prices of produce 

Property, taxation of 

Prussic acid, antidote for 

Pubic lands 

Pudding, berry 

Blackberry 

Bread 

Canned peach 

Rice 

Pumpkin 

Purchase of land 191 

Pmty 149 

Q,uinine"mixture of, for children... 

Rabbit, roast 

Radishes. 



102 
103 
104 

19 
192 
166 
190 
101 
101 
100 
101 
100 

82 



161 



200 



THE H03IESTEAD MANUAL. 



CONTENTS — continued. 



Rag carpet 

Raspberries 

Redemption 

Red elm 

Ribbons, to wash.... 
Rooms, to purify.... 
Rusty nail, to draw. 

Ruta bagas 

Rye, winter 

Sago milk 

Sale of land 

Salt, weight per bu. 
Saltpetre, antidote for. 



PAGE. 

154 

73 

..'..■ 192 

59 

119 

172 

155 

83 

39 

169 

191 

130 

168 

Sausage meat, to keep 112 

Savings, table of, at interest 131 

Scarlet fever 172 

Scouring 115 

Scratched furniture to restore 155 

Sealiiigwax. black bottle 148 

Common 148 

French 148 

For fruit cans 148 

Green 148 

Soft 148 

Sedative, arterial and nervous 162 

Seeds, quantity per acre 78 

Senate 188 

Sheep, breeds of 26 

Cotswold 26 

Leicester 26 

Lincolnshires 26 

Merino 27 

Southdowns 26 

Shirt bosoms, to gloss 150 

How to do up 117 

Simple remedies 170 

Soap 152 

Cheap hai-d 153 

Sod corn \2 

Soils of the prairie States 9 

Sore tbroat. remedy for 173 

Sorghum, Vulgare 41 

Soup, bean 85 

Beef 84 

Green corn 85 

Green pea 86 

Holiday 84-85 

Potato 85 

Oyster 86 

Tomato 85 

Spinach 83 

Spring suggestions 172 

Squash 83 

Stains, acid, to remove 137 

Coffee, to remove 136 

Fruit, to remove 137 

Grass, to i emove 137 

To remove from broadcloth 136 

Stock, shelter for..... 17-18 

Strawberries 72 

Straw bonnets, to bleach 138 

Strychinne, antidote for 167 

Sugar of lead, antidote for 167 

Sulphuric acid, antidote for 166 



PAGE- 

Sunflower 8$ 

Sweet corn, fodder 3&-40 

Mammoth 39 

Swine, breeds of 27 

Berkshire 27 

Chester White 27-28 

Essex 28 

Jersey Reds 28 

Poland-China 28 

Taxes, delinquent 192 

Exemptions 51 

Sale 192^ 

Tea 109-110 

Blackberry root . . 170 

Calamus 171 

Catnip 170 

Chamomile 170 

Dandelion 171. 

Gentian 170 

Mint 171 

Parsley root 171 

Pennyroyal 170 

Rhubarb and epsom salts 171 

Rose leaf 171 

Rue 171 

Sage 170 

Strawberry leaf 170 

Tansey 171 

White oak bark 171 

White walnut 171 

W^ormsteed 171 

Teosinthe 38 

Tetter ointment 164 

Timber, blackwalnut 49 

Cottonwood 48-49 

Defects of 127-128 

Felling 128 

On the prairies 47 

Rapidity of growth 48 

Relative value of 48 

Seasoning and preserving 129 

Selection of 127 

Varieties of 48 

White or soft maple 49 

Tincture, lemon and orange 113 

Toilet preparations 175 

Tolu cough mixture 163 

Tomatoes 83 

Figs 113. 

Sliced 91 

Tonics 161 

Cholagogue, a 161 

Strengthening 171 

Tooth powder 176 

Charcoal 176 

Cuttle-fish 176 

Tree claim, how to enter 190 

Trees, comparative growth 53-54-65 

Fast growing varieties 52 

From cuttings 52' 

List of. in Iowa SO- 

Transplanting seedlings 55 

Tree planting, profits of 60-61 

Turkeys 44 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



201 



CONTENTS— 
„, . PAGE. 

Turnipe g3 

Valuable prescriptions 161 

Vegetable garden 76 

Vegetables, preparing the ground for. 76 

Eule for cooking 89 

Quantity of seed.needed for drill- 

,^ ^ i.ng 78 

Verdegris, antidote for 167 

Waffles. 94 

Wages, table of .133-134 

Washing ] jlg 

Lace edgings ....'...' 116-117 

Silverware 151 

Watermelon ...."!! 81 

Wheat, amount of flour per bushel. .. . 12 i 

Whitewash j53 

White ash ......* . 52 

White pine 58 

White willow ..65-66-67 



-continued. 

Whooping cough 172 

Cochineal mixture for ...'..' 163 

Wild duck, roasted ' ' eo 

Windows ;;; ^ 

Windbreaks, white willow for. .". 67 

Wood measure, table of ' " ' 125 

Wood, price per cord, table of ..*."'" " 126 

Woolen blankets, to wash * ng 

Wool, bleaching '.".,"' 135 

Wools, durability of .........'. . . 60 

Woolen garments, to wash .'.*.....! 117 

Yarn, bleaching //* [ J35 

Yeast. German 92 

Self-working .'.'.'".'.".'.'. 92-93 

Vinegar 113-114 

Aromatic 175 

Gooseberry 124 

Preventive 175 

Wine and cider ]i4 



202 THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

HAfKEIEFIEEINmiCECOMPAIY 

OF DES MOINES, - - - IOWA. 
CASH ASSETS, - - - $620,051.91, 



This Company has issued to the Farmers of Iowa over 90,000 of their 

Policies. 



This Company has paid in losses to the people of Iowa nearly Half a Million of Dollars. 
This Cempany does not insure against Wind, Tornadoes or Hail, but has the largest Fire 
Insurance business of any company in the State of Iowa. 
The motto of the Hawkeye Insurance Company is to deal fairly and liberally with all 



This Company;.has the largsst Cash Assets, ihe largest Gross Surplus, and the Labgest 

Net^Surpius of any !ov/a Company, 



The Company is managed by the following officers, who are well known to the people of 
Iowa: 



E. J. INGERSOLL, President. J. CALLANAN, Vice-President. 

S. MEUBJLIj, Ex- Governor of Iowa, Treasurer. A.HOWELL, Secretary. 
W. C. COLE, Assistant Secretary. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



203 




NEW BUCKEYE MOWER I TABLERAKE 

WE MANUFACTURE ALSO 

MIIiliEK'S BUCJKE\EBIHI>ER (Twine and IVire.) 

iW^ Send for Descriptive Catalogue. 

mimm, jjiler i oo., kkm, ohio. 

THEEPIMELIFEIIISIAICECO, 



ESIEtTj?^3BX^XS{:o:iS313 xsov, 



Insurance that insures ; no assessmeni ■ ; no " passing round the hat'' ; so much insurance 
for so much premium — certain in amount, and reliable and prompt in payment. 

All approved forms of Life and Endowment insurance at as low rates of premium as any 
other responsible company in the United States. 

Policy holders participate in all surplus and profits resulting from the business. The pay- 
ment of every policy guaranteed and secured by a deposit of the full liability under it with 
the Auditor of the State of Iowa. 

Total liability of the Company on the 1st day of January, 1881 $292,699 75 

Deposited with the Auditor of State to secure that liability 368.967 84 

For further information as to rates, apply to local agents, or to 

HOYX SHERMAN, President, Des Moines, Iowa. 



204 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 

'S" M M Feice firs. 




Standard for Qualit;y, Durability and Strength. 

It is equaled by none and is guarantee 
known fence existing. Factories at 

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 



It is equaled by none and is guaranteed in all respects superior in excellence t© any 
known fence existing. Factories at 

; ]>eKaIb. Illinoiis. 



Home Office: DEKALB, ILL.. 



1.863 



RE 



PISROIVAI* & IIATTOlff, 

«^ ^mil AGENTS 




f 



DES MOIXES, 



IOWA, 



We have a large list of Wild Lands, Improved Farms and City Property for sale. A num- 
ber of choice Stock Farms of various sizes and prices. Also oargains in City Property. For 
full particulars write or call on us. 

I^^'Parties having property to sell will please send us a discription. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



205 



CHEAP CORN CUI.TU1&JK. 

THOMAS PATENT SMOOTHING HARROW 



*^ -Ci ■- tT' -w O I: 

a> c g c3 CO "' 

g 03 O g c O ,,•; 
^ ^ =HH fcfl' I, 



round slanting tei 
all not be satisfied 



AMD 

' With ^IS, 72 or 96 round Planting teeth of tempered steel and frame of selected, seasoned 
white oak. You will not be satisfied with any other after trying it. 







4 O) o 



^ c3 " " 



=::^#'':! 






iiiliii 



f^"",-*^ ? 



g 5 j-j 03 O 3 

|_<M g ►- ryj -; 



^ <U t, S t^ 



O O' 



5^ 




THE THOMAS SMOOTHING HARROW CO., 



206 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



THE EAIJDAli^iAEEOW. 



THE MOST CON 



VENIENT. EP 



_FECTIVE DU- 
RELIABLE ^i 



E^COyOMIZE S 
TIME; SAVES 
LrAT0R'°'^'^T5 

FonTyT"^- 




HARROWMade — -^^«aa^^SI^^^^*=^ - Tillage 

It has no eqnalas a PwZ^-m^^r. Cultivator-, Sod- Cutter, and for tilling all tenacious and 
tough soils. It is a substitute for the plow, cutting from 6 to to in feet in breadth. Less labor 
and increased crops are the certain res^nlts of the use of the Randall Harrow. Half the time 
saved by using it to prepare soil for seed ; and it adapts itself in every condition of surface and 
soil. 

It will thoroughly Pulverize the Soil. 
It will thoroughly cover up seed grain. 

It will thoroughly cover up surface manure. 
It is often a substitute for the Plow. 
It will save half the time and labor in preparing soil for seed. 
It V, ill increase your crops. It will save it s cost in one season. 



Every osic \vl»o Has U!>ed it or Seen it Ueed it, Speaks in itt* Fraise. 

IT 18 KO exf]ekime:kt but a pkoveb success. 

Do not Tramp after and lift your useless old Drag. Eide the Kandall, 
and Save many a Weary Mile. 



TESTIMO]SriAL. 



Inever bought amachinel was so wellsatisfied to pay for as the Randall Harrow. Ihave 
thoroughly tested It on nearly all kinds of ground, corn stubble, sod breaking and fall plowing. 
Wo other implement can approach it for completeness of work and economy of power in sur» 
face cultivation. I am sure you will have success, for the Harrows needs only to be used to 
commend itself as the most valuable implement in use. All purchasers will "find, as I have, 
that 3" ou have conferred a favor by placing the Randall Hariow within their re?. ch.—M. W. 
DUNHAM. Oak Lawn Farm, Wayne, 111., May 14, 18'.9. 

We would be pleased to mail descriptive circular to any one applying. Agents wanted in 
unoccupied territory. 

J. W. STODDAED & CO., Dayton, Ohio,'IVlanufaciurers. 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



20T 



If You Find Yourself in Need of any Good, Fresh, Reliable 

SEEDS 

FOR THE FARM OR GARDET^, SEND FOR 

DOEE'S IOWA SEED MAHU AL, 

WHICH CONTAINS A LIST AND DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST VARIETIES OF 

WITH DIRECTIONS FOR CULTIVATION, 

Besides much other valuable information. Sent to any address on receipt of one 3 cent 
stamp. 

C3b "V^b X!>C3IE1LH», Seed Grower, Des IVloines, lowa« 



BABBED 

Patented December 14, 1875 
Reissued May 2, 1877. 





Ljcensed and protected under 
all the bottom patents on barb 




The Most Popular Barb Fence IVire noiv Offered in Marliet, at Prices 
^vliicliCaiiJiofc be UiidersoSd. ;or:^J 

A sure protection, cheaper than board or rail fence, and good for a lifetime. Wastes no 
ground. Has no weedy fence row. When the best costs no more than an inferior article, 
always look for the BEST. We claim for the Frentress a superiority over all other Wires. 
MANUFACTURED BY THE 

ST. LOUIS WIRE FENCE COIVIPANY, | THE FRENTRESS BARB WIRE FENCE COMPANY 

815 & 816 N. Second St., St. L.oiiis, Mo. | East Dubuque, Illinois. 

H^'Send for Price Lists and Circulars. Mention this Book...^^ 



208 



THE HOMESTEAD MANUAL. 



WARNEE & OAERUTHERS, 

PLUfHBERS, STEAM and GiS FITTERS, 

316 Seventh Street, Des Moines, !owa. 



-0- 



Steam and hot water apparatus for warming and ventilating buildings. Gas Fixtures, Kero- 
sene Fixtures, Iron, Brass, Wood and Chain Pumps for Cisterns, Deep and Drive Wells, 
Wrought and Cast Iron Fences, for Window Guards, Cemeteries, Lawns, Public Squares, etc., 
etc. Wrought Iron Pipe, Iron and P.rass Fittings, Gas, Oil and Oasoliue Stoves. Dealers 
in every variety of goods pertaining to Water, Gas, Steam and Oil. Orders by mail promptly 
filled. Please rember the place and give us a call. Everything at the lowest living prces. All 
goods and v/ork guaranteed. 



MY .AGENTS MAKi: 



;10, »15, !»30, S35 ANI3 S30 PER DAY. 



LEWIS'S COMBINATION FORCE PUMP 




Makes Three Machines. Is the Best Pump in the 
WORLD. 

ANOTHER NEW IMPROVEMENT IS 

LEWIS'S PATENT SPRAY ATTACHMENT. 

can change from solid stream to spray 

instantly. 
I>on't Fail to Read iliis Splendid 
©fier:— I will send a sample Pump, express 
paid, to any express station in the U. S, or 
Cauadas for $5.50. Regular retail price $6. 
Weight, 4»4 lbs. Length, 33 inches. 
I also manufacture, separate, the 



I challenge the world for its equal. 
Can do from 3 to 5 acres per day. One 
pound of Paris Green will give an acre 
three separate dressings. For syringing 
fruit trees infected with insects of any 
kind it stands unrivaled. Send for Illus- 
trated Circular. Price List and Terms to 
Agents, etc. I give the names and 



Price— post-paid— Zinc, $1.25; Polished Brass, $1.75. 

Over 15,000 Sold in Seven Months. 

addresses of many of my agents who make from $10 to $30 in a single day; also a long list 
of my customers, each of whom have bought from $50 to $2000 worth of these goods in from 
1 to 3 weeks time. You can make from $10 to $30 per day. Agents wanted everywhere. 

P. C. liElVlS, €atskill, New York. 

THE IOWA HOMESTEAD. 

THIS IS THE OLDEST AND BEST 

^ A.GH«,lCUL.TUItA.r^ \rEE:K:iL.Y IW THtE »OItTJEI WEST. 

"It gives special attention to Live-Stock, General Farming, Dairying, Fruit-Growing and 
Forestry, Poultry and Bee-Keeping, Household Affairs and Markets. Each'number contains 
the condensed News of the Week, a Story and Select Poetry. All estray animals taken up 
up in Iowa are advertised in the Homestead. For the small sum of $1.50 a copy of this 
Book and the Homestead for one year will be sent to any new subscriber. 

Address, lOlVA HOMESTiSAl), I>es ITIoines, Iowa. 



